I learned in my astrophysics course that the universe is finite and bounded. I asked my professor, who was a research astrophysicist for the Johnson Space Center, what was outside the universe. He said no one knows and that scientists deal only with what is inside the universe.
Does anyone know? Care to speculate?
2006-06-20 16:49:38 · 18 answers · asked by starone 3 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Astronomy & Space
The omniverse, which is a superset of the multiverse.
2006-06-20 16:56:36 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 4⤋
Exactly how big the universe is, what shape it is, and what constitutes a boundary of it is on the cutting edge of science and theory. It is an area of science that is still very much in its early stages and will undoutably evolve and change as more evidence comes forward.
That being said, many scientists do not believe there is an actual 'edge' of the universe in the conventional 3 dimensional sense that we normally think of. Many people picture the universe as this big round expanding balloon and picture a theoretical spaceman being able to fly outside the balloon and look back on it from the outside. However, that is not necessarily the case.
As one of the above posters mentioned, that is a 3-dimensional view and there is good evidence that 3-dimensional space can be bent and even wrapped around itself (many of Einstein's theories talk about the curvature of space). So it is possible that universe could be finite in size, but still not have an edge from a 3-dimensional standpoint. If a theoretically spaceman were to jump in a super super fast (many times the speed of light) spaceship and go flying through space in a straight line, he would eventually end up right back where he started - going in a complete loop without reaching an edge.
It is very difficult for us to picture more than 3 dimensions from our 3-dimensional perspective. To give an impression of how it works, there is a very good book called 'Flatland' written by Edwin Abbott. It talks about an imaginary land where all the people exist in only 2-dimensions. The people are like pieces of flat paper moving on a flat plane; they can see and move left and right, forward and backward, but have no concept of up and down. If a flatlander were on globe, he could do a complete circle around the globe and end up back where he started, but to his eyes, he would see (and think) that he had gone in a perfectly straight line. Those of us in the 3rd dimension could see how he went in a loop. It may very well be that our 3 dimensional universe (and our perspection of it) is very similar.
Interesting stuff to be sure.
2006-06-20 17:20:28 · answer #2 · answered by sascoaz 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
nothing!
There is no "outside". Oh its true that the universe is bounded, but that does not mean there *has* to be an "outside". Don't get stuck in a 3 dimensional construct. The universe is not limited to 3 dimensions. There are many more than 3 spatial dimensions ("time" not being one of them - hence the use of the word "spatial"). Try to stretch your mind into a forth spatial dimension, and you will start to see things differently.
We won't even talk about conceptualizing a fifth dimension. Maybe Steven Hawking could do it but not many others.
Oh, and there should be a god filter for the Science and Math category...
2006-06-20 17:01:07 · answer #3 · answered by none2perdy 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
This is the edge of man's knowledge. Some physicist believe that the Universe is finite but no boundary. As in Einstein's theory, that if you travel in a straight line, you will end up where you started.
There is a conclusion that outside of universe (if exist) is just nothingness which cannot be comprehended because there is nothing to comprehend.
2006-06-20 19:19:31 · answer #4 · answered by asimovll 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
According to the theory your professor used- the concepts of time and space exist only within the universe. Incase there is a boundry of the universe, beyond it there is no time and there is no space. It is impossible to imagine this mentally.
Indian Yogis however, say that there are techniques through which one can explore the entire time and space and the beyond. Try reading a book called "Mystic's Musings" from amazon.com to know more.
2006-06-20 20:04:22 · answer #5 · answered by Siddarth G 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
There is a theory which calls what you are describing
E-SPACE.
There are different theorys about the shape of the universe, i.e. a cube, a sphere, etc. However, regardless of the shape, what lies on the outside is known as E-SPACE. Basically, an expanding universe can not expand into nothingness, thus E-SPACE.
2006-06-20 16:56:10 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
NULL.
NULL - The absence of the materials from which the universe is made of . Time is a charactersistics of universe where solar
sytems are born and destroyed. Null can be descibed as the
absence of time too. Null has no physical dimensions.
Initally there is creator/god and the NULL. The universe is expanded to the point to which the creator can control .
Beyond it is NULL .
2006-06-21 01:19:18 · answer #7 · answered by SACHIN V. PATEL 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
There are three heavens. The first heaven is where the birds fly; the sky that we see. The second heaven is the solor system (the planets, moon, stars, milky way, etc). The third Heaven is where God is and that is infinite. No one can get to the third Heaven unless they have been saved through the blood of Jesus and God calls them home to Him. Elijah was the only one in History who went to Heaven, where God is, without dying. He was taken up in a whirl wind as it is written in the Bible.
2006-06-20 16:59:09 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yo Raunak fuckfacts. F your reproduction and paste. we would have enjoyed actual thoguhts no longer robotic. the assumption of there being a parallel universe is a sturdy question, yet with each and every sturdy question there is yet another question that must be asked. Its like leaping the gun to be short. I say this becuase we don't even comprehend how our universe works as a consequence we could no longer probable even think of roughly yet another. with the aid of fact if we don't comprehend pertaining to to the makeup(regulations of physic that seem to alter each and every day) that we are cloaked in we will not in any respect proceed. So a extra clever question could be, How does our universe artwork? Now right that's the actual suggestions blower. There can't be in user-friendly terms another! with the aid of fact each and every determination you're making could CREATED a clean universe! each and every thing could must be oppisite in any different case there could in user-friendly terms be one universe. following me? ok so say you needed to goto the mall, yet in the different universe you probably did no longer. comprehend think of of each and every of the failings you agree on approximately on the mall and each and all of the failings you agree on at domicile or with a chum. with each and every determination there is two or 3 available solutions and for each answer there could must be a universe. So for every day life there could be billions of universe for one individual. for the worldwide there could be trillions abon trillions. my answer is sure there is extra universes. yet ill under no circumstances see them.
2016-10-31 05:29:44 · answer #9 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Outside? Outside? Nobody talks about the outside of the universe; there are probably totally different laws of physics. Imagine what would happen if there was no gravity anywhere *shudder*
2006-06-21 00:58:38 · answer #10 · answered by whitearmofrohan 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
By definition, everything we know is contained in the universe. There wouldn't be anything outside the universe.
2006-06-20 16:57:30 · answer #11 · answered by karen 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋