The Universe...Where In The Heck Is It Going To?
Sometimes I think strange thoughts....sometimes I think that someone else must have had the "same" strange thought. When this happens I go check the internet to see if my strange thought isn't so strange.
A few weeks ago I wrote a post https://steemit.com/science/@mithrilweed/are-we-alone-in-the-universe
One of the replies I recieved came from @j97vcnge3bxaqamk and making a comment "about the universe" he stated, "I mean, it's not actually infinite though, neither in combination or in observable space."
This got me thinking... is the universe "finite" or "infinite?" So let's get down to the "brass tacks" as they say.
The Universe (as far as we know) is all there is. Physics provides no "real way" for us to ever look anywhere... but within it. As of today, humanity has been encased from any possible communion from alternate realities or other dimensions. Other dimensions may exist and there may even be a "boundary" to the cosmos but so far we've never observed anything even remotely resembling one.
When we measure the cosmos on very large scales....the universe is actually a pretty simple place to hang out. It has been around for a "finite" amount of time roughly 13.8 billion years and it looks pretty much the same everywhere. Galaxies are almost evenly distributed in the cosmos. Everywhere we look we see about the same number of galaxies. It is also big...very....very...very BIG and it's getting bigger!
The space/time between all 100 billion galaxies is increasing. New empty space/time is always being created as the universe continues to age....increasing the distance between the galaxies & pushing them apart. Since the universe is expanding and enlarging the most logical question to ask is, "what is it expanding into?"
When we gaze deep into the universe, we cannot see any boundaries at all. The universe continues to twist, bend and curve itself into virtually anything imaginable. General relativity does make it possible to live in an infinite universe... with absolutely no boundary at all. Because of General Relativity space/time is not a static entity. It is a dynamic and ever changing fabric, within which the loaction of every galaxy is woven into.
The question still remains, is the universe "finite" or "infinite?" Well if we ever find an egde to the universe we will know that it is "finite" (which we haven't). Adding fabric to infinity doesn't make more infinity. An "infinite" universe would have no edges that expand and therefore makes the question... meaningless. Another possibility is that there is an edge to the cosmos but it's location is so far away (which means that the universe is becoming something) that we will never see it & therefore it will never ever effect us. If humanity hasn't located the boundary by now we probably never will.
I subscribe to the ideology of an "Infinite universe in infinite combinaton" I would love to be able to see new space/time being created... just to take a selfie. Then as of 17 hours ago I read this article:
Hope you enjoyed my post... don't forget to upvote!
Excelsior!!!!!
To me it has to be infinite, because if it has an edge what is beyond that? It's like time, to me it also has to be infinite, no start no end, because if it has a starting point and an ending point, what was there before and after? You'll say there was and will be nothing, but what happens to everything that is in the universe, does it just disappear? And you'll say the universe started with the Big Bang say, but still space had to exist before that or it wouldn't have expanded. Also I don't very much believe scientists who say the universe was created x years ago, how do they know? against what do they measure this? Or for that matter giving distances hundreds of millions of light years away, it sounds great and very knowledgeable but I think these guys are just giving us crap.
Well I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that there was a Big Bang.... that might have created space and everything in it. What happens to stuff in the universe? you ask. More than likely it recycles itself in the most effecient way that we do not understand yet. You kinda have answered your own question.... scientists measure distance of light in space. I can see how it might sound "grandiose" with all those millions...I just take off the zero's sometimes (hehe). If they are giving us "crap" as you write....I kinda cut them some slack as they are discovering new stuff everyday... I believe the majority of scientists are trying to get it right.
Fair enough, I think you understand that's just my opinion I'm not saying I am right, I am not completely stubborn, but scientists have back pedalled a lot of times for example with carbon-14 (I think that's what it was or is called), before, that was supposed to be an exact way to measure the age of some materials, and then a few years back scientists said that it wasn't really too smart to believe in it being so exact.
Hey I agree as well.... not all scientists are reputable and they once thought the world flat..... I think the really important point is that the Universe creatied us and we percieve it....that's a miracle in itself. If it has no end or does, it isn't too big of a deal, unless proven. Definitely cool to think about...
It depends on the observer. If you want it to be infinite then it's infinite. If you want to be finite then it's finite.
I know it's one of those things that can be both....depending on your perspective. What if it is a hologram? ....doh.
If you follow David Icke, what you perceive is a hologram created in your mind.
What I perceive as a steemian whale is actually a universal hologram because my posts don't make serious $... damn you David Icke....(haha)
OK, you sucked me in here...
I wasn't going to watch the whole YouTube video, but once it got started, I just couldn't stop...
As someone who believes that the man commonly known as Jesus is in fact the God who created this entire universe, I fully expect to visit and explore every damn one of those stars in Andromeda that I watched scroll by. Just sayin'.
I've read that, recently, scientists have concluded that the universe is an order of magnitude larger than previously believed, now thought to be somewhere between one and two trillion galaxies.
I mention these things so that, should anyone reading this ever wake in the middle of the night and think "I wish I could believe that I'll live to visit billions of stars," I'd be more than glad to discuss with you the whys and wherefores of my faith.
Thanks for a great post! 😄😇😄
Glad you enjoyed it! Keep on Steeming :-)