This really freaks me out to the point of having a panic attack?

Question

I wonder sometimes what is outside space? if you travelled upwards for perhaps infinity what it past space? would you come to an end. Could that be where 'heaven' is or something? When i think about this it makes me wonder if time really does exist. Whats outside the outside of space and the universe. I know we will never find out but it makes me wonder what is there? I'm not sure you will understand what i mean but it scares me. I'm 27, a mother of two and i don't know why i keep thinking like this. Please don't think i'm mad.

Answer 1

We all have feeling of not knowing how we fit in to the universe and wondering what everything really means.

Answer 2

Some theories suggest that space itself might be 'created' by a singularity (a black hole in reverse, or 'big bang'). However, if space does have a limit, there can by definition be no 'outside' of space.
That doesn't help to know what happens at the end, but there can't be more space in which anything can be, not even a vacuum.

It's similar to the idea that time is created in a singularity, in which case there can be no 'before' the singularity, because 'before' is a measure of time! That throws all concept of cause and effect into disarray. Lots of fun.

Instead of finding it panicking, perhaps you could find comfort in knowing the universe is so unknowable, and vast in its secrets, that man will never truely be able to understand everything. There will always be untouched, un-understood beauty in the universe.

I find that a nice thought.

Answer 3

You're certainly not mad and I really don't think you have anything to worry about. Light travels at 186,000 miles a second and if you travelled at that speed it would still take you about 100,000 years just to cross our little galaxy and our galaxy is one of billions! The universe is almost certainly infinite and has probably always existed. These are things our minds are sadly not equipped to understand or deal with at the moment. The most important thing is that you are here and you are part of that universe. You are important enough to exist and inquisitive enough to ask the questions even if you don't know all the answers. Just enjoy the fact that there is a universe and that for a least one brief period of eternity you are lucky enough to glimpse it and stand in awe of it. And remember, whatever happens, you'll always be part of it in one form or another. Of course, if that's too much for you, you could always consider Descartes' 'I think therefore I am'. It was the only thing he said we could be certain about, that we exist. We can't be sure about the universe, the people we know or even our own bodies, because they could all be part of our imagination. Of course if that was the case, you may be imagining this reply in which case...? Isn't life great!!

Answer 4

If a beam of light was projected straight into space, gravity would bend it, so that eventually it would create an arc, ie. no longer going in a straight line. Although human beings think in terms of straight lines, in nature, everything is rounded, human beings, animals, trees, planets. Even if things start off as straight, wind and tide will soon round them. Incidentaly, we can measure the area of a square exactly, but we cannot measure the area of a circle exactly (pi is an approximation).

The point I am trying to make is that straight lines are anathama to nature. Einstein realised that things are relative to each other, and that gravity tends to bend things, even light. Our brains have been constructed to help us survive on earth, but when it comes to a wider understanding, even our questions seem ridiculous.

Are you so insecure that you need to have guarantees about, not just the earth, but the whole universe? I suspect that you are not a religious person, otherwise you might be able to say, "that is God's domain", I haven't been given the capacity to understand.

If you travelled out in space, you would be leaving a round object,which itself is moving at 25000mph, creating an an infinite number of directions you could go in, but gravity would influence your direction, so you would become a slave of universal forces.
There are no straight lines or hard edges, because that isn't the way it works.

Answer 5

The universe is continually expanding.
Some theorise over a flat universe that is expanding a a set rate, others differ.
You couldn't get to the edge as the universe doesn't behave in that way and even if it did you wouldn't be able to travel fast enough.
Try reading A brief history of time. By Stephen Hawking for an easy to digest start into this crazy world.
This stuff is not beyond your comprehension!

Answer 6

Seriously, if you feel yourself on the brink of panic attacks, please see a doctor. Panic attacks are no fun, and they should be treated professionally. As for your question, we don't know if "space" has an end. We believe that there is an end to the universe, that is, we can track the point where matter ends. However, space is believed to be infinite. If true, then there is no end to space. It may go on and on until we find another universe that is so far out of our current perception that we have no concept of the distances involved.

Answer 7

I think I'm an otherwise pretty sane person, but I get really freaked out sometimes when I think about what it would be like to fly in one of those military planes that actually enters space. I get even more freaked out when I think about what it looks like on the surface of other planets, like Mars or Venus. I don't know why I do either; it has something to do with confronting the unknown.

Answer 8

No it's a great thought because scholars have been trying to get to the "bottom" of this conception for centuries.. sounds to me like you are interested and maybe a bit afraid of what is actually out there.. i agree with you .. it could be some other race.. who knows.. all I can say to you is aww.. bless you are only 27 and have two children.. live a little.. worry about that when you are my age.. sleep well.. enjoy your children..xxx

Answer 9

The Universe doesn't have an outside. There isn't a beyond it. Everything that exists is part of the Universe.
There, now you don't need to worry about it any more.

Answer 10

As far as we know "space" or the cosmos is expanding all the time. Even if you could travel at an enormous speed you would never reach the edge as it expands all the time. I would cease to worry as it takes over 7 hours for light to reach the edge of our solar system. Man is never likely to get there nor are any aliens likely to reach earth

Answer 11

I don't think u are mad, I just think u worry too much. People ask themselves these questions all the time but no one knows the answers. Just live the right way, be comfortable, love yourself and others, help people and do the right things. Maybe at the end of your days you will be blessed with that knowledge that u seek.