2006-10-08 03:51:13 · 14 answers · asked by Anonymous in Science & Mathematics ➔ Astronomy & Space
Firstly, ignore most of the answers you have already received, I have read them and they show a severe lack of understanding.
The speed of light limit only applies when you are in an "inertial frame" -- that is, sitting where you are, without any forces acting on you, and measuring the speed of an object that moves past a ruler and clock that you are holding in your hand. Across the large distances in the universe, however, we have a very different set of circumstances. No one is in an inertial frame, because everyone is being accelerated with respect to everyone else, due to the universe's gravitational field and the fact that the universe is expanding. In effect, the universe's expansion isn't really due to galaxies moving "through space" away from each other, but rather due to the stretching of space itself, which isn't governed by the same limits that we are.
no object with any finite rest mass can move at the speed of light. That is why all the particles that move at the speed of light (e.g. photons) have zero rest mass. As a particle with mass approaches the speed of light, its energy increases and becomes infinite at the speed of light, which is the reason why it can never be accelerated to reach that speed. This has actually been verified by experiments, and it has been shown that nothing moves faster than the speed of light.
However, there is nothing which prevents objects that are separated by huge distances from moving relative to each other faster than the speed of light. Over these large distances, the effects of the universe's expansion become important, and the answers you have received so far completely FAIL to grasp this..
Thus, although it's impossible to move through space (locally) faster than the speed of light, and it's impossible for anyone within the universe to send off a piece of "information" faster than the speed of light, it is still possible for the distances between faraway galaxies to increase faster than the speed of light, due to the rate at which the space between them is stretching. This faster than light "travel" doesn't have any effect on the material that makes up the galaxies (for example, their energy does not become infinite in any meaningful sense), since they aren't really moving with respect to each other in any way that they can measure directly.
Heres a little ditty to cheer you up after all that complicated stuff:
There was a young lady called Bright,
Who travelled faster than light,
She left one day,
In a relative way,
and returned on the previous night!
Hope I was of some help.
2006-10-08 07:41:56 · answer #1 · answered by Inquisitive 3 · 1⤊ 1⤋
The masses in the Universe Expand their radii because as they move they gain mass this process occurs in order to maintain gravitational equilibrium .
The Universe as a whole is in perfect equilibrium and does not need to expand any where.
If a mass structure was to move at the speed of light its elemental components would just float away.
2006-10-08 04:41:08 · answer #2 · answered by goring 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
confident, that certainly achieveable and in certainty area increasing plenty speedier than gentle is the only way for the great Bang concept to make experience. there is an echo from the great Bang, crimson shifted each and each of ways all the way down to the microwave area of the electromagnetic spectrum that shows the universe develop into fearsomely warm in it truly is infancy. whether, this radiation history is tremendously much completely uniform in each course. there is not any way for the universe to realize an infinite length and have time to equalize it truly is temperature if it greater slower than gentle with great adjustments in temperature in the time of on the beginning up. yet while it greater slowly in the beginning up at an identical time as nonetheless very small, it could have had of project to realize close to suited uniformity in temperature, then while runaway inflation took carry the universe could stay virtually uniform in temperature. i do no longer comprehend if it truly is nonetheless increasing speedier than gentle right this moment, yet there is not any rules of physics i've got heard of that restrict this from happening.
2016-10-02 02:04:14 · answer #3 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
the universe is expanding but not at the speed of light. scientist predicted there will be two outcome,
1. it will keep on expanding
2. it will stop to expand and it will eventually collapse on its own weight and mass, and another big bang will happen.
2006-10-08 03:55:44 · answer #4 · answered by HBKidBen 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
it is beyond known laws of physics for matter to travel faster than the speed of light. the faster it travels the more it expands until it turns into pure energy as it approaches light speed according to Einsteins theory of relativity. to answer your question the universe would explode into pure energy
2006-10-08 05:03:31 · answer #5 · answered by gazzboy 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It already is. That's why they refer to the "observable universe". The parts of the universe that are receding at faster than the speed of light are forever cut off from us.
2006-10-08 04:08:53 · answer #6 · answered by Nomadd 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Nothing, the speed of light would change and some say the speed of light has slowed down.
2006-10-08 08:10:11 · answer #7 · answered by gregory_dittman 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It is widely believed that nothing can travel faster than the speed of light, so it's a bit of a non-starter.
2006-10-08 03:58:45 · answer #8 · answered by PAUL H 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I'm afraid that the precept is pure fantasy - such a situation is entirely outside the laws of physics. Any answer to the question is doomed to be nonsense and, for this reason, I venture no answer
2006-10-08 04:06:52 · answer #9 · answered by clausiusminkowski 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋
It would collape in on itself and another big bang will eventually happen.
2006-10-12 02:51:46 · answer #10 · answered by Krissy 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋