Everything has a beginning and an end - right? Well what lies beyond the end of the Universe?

Question

They say that the Universe is expanding
Into what? What is currently in the area into which it is expanding?

Answer 1

It depends on how much mass the universe has and what kind of curvature space has. If the mass of the universe is greater than this "critical mass" then at some point it will stop expanding and it will contract back into a singularity. If the mass of the universe is greater than this critical mass than it doesn't have enough gravitational attraction to stop the expansion meaning the universe will just keep expanding until it reaches a cold death. However, the universe has been observed to have an accelerated expansion, meaning it is expanding faster and faster as time goes. This will definitely lead to a cold death.

A cold death is when the universe never contracts back into a point. According to the second law of thermodynamics, the entropy of the universe can never decrease. What this means is that slowly but surely, the universe will reach a uniform temperature everywhere and life would surely cease to exist. The result is a cold, lifeless universe that does not but sit there for eternity.

Also, the universe isn't expanding into anything. Literally it is just space expanding. Say you had a balloon and the surface of that balloon is a universe. Imagine using a Sharpie and marking two dots on the balloon to represent two galaxies or planets or whatever. Now blow the balloon up and you'll see that the universe on the surface of the balloon is expanding. The points will move further away from each other. Now picture that in three dimensions and you have our expanding universe.

Finally, from what I've read the universe doesn't have and "edge." If you were to get into a spaceship start flying through space in a perfectly straight line, supposedly you'll end up where you started. This is supposed to be a result of the curvature of space.

Answer 2

Nothing.

First off, "everything has a beginning and an end" is an assumption, not a fact.

Try this theory on for size. I read about this years ago in a theoretical physics book:

Space is nothing more then the reference for the distance between the objects in it. Space without objects is a nonsensical entity - it doesn't exist - it is simply nothing.

The objects in space are what give it reality and meaning. No objects - no space, simple as that. Space is nothing. When the objects in our universe expand, they are literally creating space as their reference.

Visualize a box with nothing inside - absolutely nothing. The inside is meaningless - it is nothing.
Now throw a couple of marbles in the box. Now we have something tangible - we have the relative distance between the marbles.
Throw in a third marble and move the box around - we now have relative distances, relative velocities and relative positions. Starting to sound eerily like our universe?

If you can conceptional this - consider that nothing can easily be infinite - zero times anything is still zero.
Now you can see that nothing has no time...no end...no beginning...no edges...no boundaries...no other side....no beyond.....no meaning what so ever without objects.

Isn't theoretical physics great? We'll never have all of the answers, but that won't discourage us from seeking them anyways.

Answer 3

I suppose in many respect this would be classified as a philosophical question since any answer would be merely speculation. However I do seem to remember reading something (perhaps in New Scientist Magazine), which stated that in many respects WE are the centre of the Universe, or to use the correct term - 'the observable universe'. That is to say that since light has a finite speed, the edge of our universe would simply be a sphere around us 13.7 billions light years away, since that is as much of the universe that could have affected us.

So from this point of view; what is beyond the edge of the universe? It is not only impossible to determine since we will never be able to reach it, but also completely meaningless since it has no affect on us.

Thus if you do follow this idea of the 'observable universe' being the extent of the universe we live in, then technically the Universe is not expanding, it is just our vision of it that is.

(sorry if that's too technical) :-)

Answer 4

If you are certain that energy is eternal, it can be converted but cannot be eliminated. "beginning and end" are relative. End of one process becomes a beginning of another.
Thought of the beginning of the universe I believe is being part of philosophy and religion not science.
Because if we talk science and the eternal characteristic of energy, the beginning and the end of universe are infinity.
So is the perimeter of space, where is the perimeter of space ?
If we think that there is a perimeter of our space (the space is in so called container that can expand) , the next question is where is the container contained ?, in another space, another bigger container ?
I would answer your question that practically there is no end of universe. There might be an end of mankind but not the universe.
I wonder who is giving the hypotheses the universe is expanding.

Answer 5

The universe does not end, we are probably in a system of multi-universes that regenerates itself. There is nothing that has physical properties outside the universe. There maybe other dimensions where the meta-physical or God reside at. I believe scientist call the stuff we are expanding into dark matter, most of the universe is made up of dark matter.

Answer 6

What lies beyond de universe? - Uhm! Might be anothe "Universe", or there might b no end for de universe...
Universe will xpand n xpand n xpand n at some point would stop xpanding and start contracting.
That time All de planets, stars, nebulae, etc., will collapse resultin in an other "BIG BANG" obviously. That would b de way it goes!!!!

Answer 7

There may not really be an end to the universe. If there is an end, I would also love to know what it could possibly be--could the human mind even grasp what lies beyond?

Answer 8

I am not a scientist but I dont think there is an end to the universe-
just because we on planet human are programmed to have everything physical definate, doesnot mean everything is, things do evolve without us ya know, and just because we do not have the capacity in our minds to comprehend them, doesnot mean they do not exist.

Answer 9

The unified universe It must be moving into a new sphere that we haven't named yet maybe the abyss. we got to see it to believe it first otherwise it can't proved.

Answer 10

well...since God made everything,questions like this & numerous others that appear on this site & any other question that has baffled mankind for thousands of years,can only be answered by Him. When love is the motive to create everything we see and know to exsist,we as mere humans will allways question GOD, The Creator.Dont believe me,read the first 2 chapters of the first book in the Bible......Genesis.........................................................