Where does the sky end?

Question

WHAT'S OUT THERE? If you could travel all the way beyond pluto, what would you find? how far does it go on? There can never be an end because if there was some kind of wall at the end, what's behind it? There must be thousands even millions of other solar systems just like ours out there somewhere and they are probably people living on other planets going about their daily business thinking the same thing that I am right now. This has been puzzling me for many years, and what confuses and wrecks with my head even more is the fact that I will never find out the truth. Does anyone have any opinions or ideas on this for me please, i'd be happy to here them. Dom

Answer 1

ok our solar system is about 5 billions miles across...thats a hell of a long ways....now think about this...there are about 4 billion stars in our galaxy with their own solr systems....there have been close to a million galaxies discovered to date...think about it...that a hell of a lot of space.....there are some people who say that out galaxy is about 15 million light years across...that means...it would take you 15 million years traveling at the speed of light(1,758,568,921 mph) to get across just our own galaxy...also if there was just one planet for every million stars with intelligent life on it...that would make hundreds of millions of intelligent life forms like ourselves out there waiting to be discovered...adnd the answer to if there is a wall or an end..is no...there is no end to the universe...the universe has been expanding rapidly for about 20 billion years...it is always moving out..getting bigger...new stars form...new planets...but eventually in about 100 to 200 billion years from now the solro system will stretch itself too far...it will have expanded as far as it will go...and it will stop...most likely ending all life in the universe...because the stars will be stretched so far that they will begin to cool off....then thats where it gets really bad...the universe will begin to rapidly rebound like a stretched rubber band when let go...but by then our sun will have died out anyway...so no ..worries man...lol...i can tell you more if you like...i am an astronomer...with a masters degree in deep space phenomenon...so my line of work may interest [e-mail]...screen name for messenger...centaurisol....i don't know everything...but i will try to answer some of your questions to the best of my ability..

Answer 2

The easiest answer is to say that concepts like "traveling in a straight line" take on new meaning when you are talking about very large regions of space, compared to our experience on or near Earth.

Einstein said that 4-dimensional space-time could contain warps (caused by gravitational pull) and was not uniform throughtout the universe. This was later verified experimentally (by measuring the bending of light rays around the sun).

Once you get used to the idea of a spongy, warped, jello-like space, it may be easier to let go of the idea of the universe as a big, uniform "cube" or "ball" of space. Not only that, it exists in not just the familiar 3 spatial dimensions, but 4 (space-time) or even 10 (including string theory's "tiny six" dimensions). When you start traveling over huge distances, you are not just taking the Interstate to Tallahassee. You're moving through some very exotic, curvilinear zones (without ever necessarily turning the steering wheel).

Imagining more than 3 spatial dimensions is a hassle, so I try to think of two-dimensional examples and bring in the third to see how it changes the view. Probably the best analogy for "universe travel" in 2-to-3 dimensions is traveling around on the surface of a globe. Viewed in two dimensions (on the surface), there are NO EDGES and one can travel in a "straight" line forever, possibly returning to the same point or perhaps crossing paths at times. This is true even though there is a finite extent and area/volume in this "universe." It's the "extra" dimension, the "warping" of the 2D space that makes these counter-intuitive ideas possible.

Having said that, there are so many unexplained phenomena out there (the dark energy and the dark matter are two of my favorite anomalies) that no one can say for sure what you would find if you went for a long ride.

I get comfortable with these opinions: the universe as we know it expanded from a single point (at the Big Bang) to a real big size today; it has an "extent"--some large size, less than infinite; I don't have to worry about bumping into a wall somewhere and scratching the finish on my Mustang (that's more a problem on the Tallahassee trip).

Answer 3

First of all, the 'sky' is the blue thing above our heads which apperas because of the refraction of the suns white light on the atmosphere. The atmosphere goes all round earth, so the sky ends above the atmosphere.

Outer space is not hypothesised to have an end, it goes on for ever.

Think of this: If you went t to the edge of the universe and stuck your arm out, what would happen. Would it bend back, or keep going.

Answer 4

the sky ends after about 22 miles, then its space. ...space is infinate. which is why theres a lot of it! and i doubt as if theres a wall at the end of the universe...what does it say, STOP! but what about multilayered interdimensional fluxes, with overlapping causality matrices, or multiple matrixes? this reality is mereley that, thsi reality. its your reality, not mine, my reality is at home, in wet cold damp england. my reality is understanding numbers. i speak fluent mathematics.

probability dictates that there are as many planets as there are grains of sand on the beach, only arrogance allows us to say, the earth is unique, we are all powerful, i assure you were just bags of mostly water, which burst all too easily, and its not like weve explored much further that your avergae five year old.... we know whats at the end of the garden, we know whats at the end of the street, but after that...its mostly guesswork. (based on probability, of course) but were stiull guessing.

so long as we dont meet the Borg, or land on LV429, or kill ourselves off with pollution germ warfare or atomic bombs in the meantime, we may get to go where no person has gone before...but it wont be for a very long time. were too busy fighting with each other to "use" vaulable resources, such as a project of this magnitude would require.

but, we need to think were going, albeit eventually, just like we need to believe neil armstrong walked on the moon a mere 30 odd years ago, i watched it live, i was 11 years old. if we didnt, and it was a hoax, then what the **** have we been doing for the last 60 years. where is Zephrim Cochran when we need him?

seriously, space is big, and we havent got a clue whats out there beyond our backyard fence. given the state of global politics at teh moment, i wouldnt want any one of us out there. were only two steps away from being bloodthirsty savages, with pointed sticks and rocks... if johnny alien arrives, and he isnt all love and peace live long and prosper dude, were screwed. were so busy squabbling we wont see the lions until they pounce...and itll be too late.

later...

Answer 5

yay! you know, i was just thinking about this a few days ago after someone mentioned that space just CAN'T go on forever... but asking them to explain what happens at the end and how it actually 'ends' leaves them clueless. and it does! if you believe in God, it's pretty much the same thing.

i can't think of anything to say, but it just blows my mind. trying to IMAGINE it!!!!

Answer 6

You become a part of the energy of space itself.

What goes in - must come out.

Proportionally speaking...

Answer 7

watch star trex, it has many theory or MIB

or just read zen,,, to go far, is to go back (after going somewhere , the only place you want to go is home)

Answer 8

where space begins

Answer 9

No where

Answer 10

it doesnt end...