Scientists say the Universe is growing, that implies that there is something outside of it. What's outside it?

Question

I asked my high school astronomy teacher a few years ago what he meant by growing, since that would imply that there's some kind of new space it's taking up.

He said there's matter outside. Isn't everything made up of matter? Still don't know the answer to this one after all this time.

When I had astronomy in high school, it was the first year it was offered. Our teacher raised enough funds to buy a mobile planetarium for the course.

Answer 1

I hate to be the philosopher but that is why the question still reamins. No one can accuratly tell what lies beyond the boundries of the universe. Is there another? Is it just white noise? I believe that space is infinite and our "universe" could well be a part of a cluster of "multiverses". i was once told that the universe is expanding in the same way that a balloon is blown up. So what lies beyond our universe? I say space, space, and more space!

If our universe began with the "big bang" then that would mean that at some point the universe had collapsed upon itself, leaving empty space.

Answer 2

Technically, nothing is outside of the Universe since all matter is contained within the Universe according to our understanding.

However, according to "M Theory" or Kaluza-Klein Theory the Universe could be compared to a "Bubble" and where the outside of any Bubble bumps into another "Bubble" a new Universe is born. This also explains why the matter in the Universe is spread out int he manner it is. They are hoping this will be (finally) the Generally Unified Theory of Everything that Einstein hoped for one day.

Technically, this would all happen in the small 11th dimensional pocket where the area is 1/trillionth of a inch long, yet the 1/trillionth of an inch is also infinitely long INSIDE the dimension. However, they now believe that much like ocean waves, the different types of strings inside wash over each other creating new matter and Universes, all the time. It is also believed that gravity comes from these dimensions and that it is strongest there, finally when it leaks out to our Universe, it is as it should be here and any mathmatical formula that treats gravity this way always comes up correctly.

M Theory
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M-theory

Kaluza-Klein Theory
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaluza-Klein_theory

Answer 3

Hmm I've never heard of astronomy being offered in a High School... but I'll give you the benefit of the doubt.

Your teacher was wrong, or, at least, over generalizing. There are two ways to look at what is outside the universe.

First there is nothing outside of our universe. There doesn't need to be anything outside because our universe is not expanding into something and displacing it, but is just expanding relative to itself. (Your teacher probably showed you the dots on the balloon... the universe is only the surface of that balloon being stretched out, not the entire volume of the balloon which is expanding).

Then we can consider that there could be another universe or a void, or several universes, here we are still expanding into nothing because all things outside of our universe are nothing to us. There might be something beyond it but if we cannot travel faster than the speed of light we could never get there or see it. I hypothesize that even if we could there would be nothing for us to expirience since we are products of this self-contained universe and a place with different laws of physics would be meaningless to us.

Answer 4

This is something that has always confused me too. It makes absolutely no sense if you think about it. Obviously there is something on the outside. The universe has to end, meaning there is something else. And, what was there before the big bang? That big empty space. Even if the universe has a shape, as most scientists say it does, then it can't go on forever. Really no one knows what is at the end of the universe, or even if it ends. I think it does. Maybe on the outside, a new universe begins. These are the weird questions that go through my mind constantly. It makes you realize how little we really know about the universe.

Answer 5

The Theory on Everything is that the most basic of sub atomic particle are made of strings, energy packets that are two dimensional. It is assumed that this is what matter in this universe is made. The fact the the universe is expanding is something that can be measured. In recent years, it has been determined that the expansion of the universe is accelerating. If anything does exist outside this universe does not guarantee that it works with the same physical laws that this universe does and would not be within the ability for us to understand... You are not alone.

Answer 6

It is false that the expansion of the Universe implies that there's something outside of it. The Universe expands because the space itself inside expands.

Answer 7

Nothing exist outside of the Universe. The Universe is expanding into nothing, really.

Answer 8

Space is outside the Universe as well as within it

Answer 9

More accurately I've heard about the Universe "expanding", meaning that it spreads into space which is infinite for all we know.

Answer 10

Nothing once you hit space that is it you keep on going and going and going.