And what shape is it?
2006-12-29 14:42:26 · 12 answers · asked by masteryoda 3 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Astronomy & Space
" In cosmological terms, the universe contains an infinite number galaxies, clusters, and superclusters meaning that the universe is infinite and unlimited in size. In theory it is also said that the the entire universe is yet still a very tiny speck of dust compared to an enormous never ending multiverse containg an infinite times infinite number of universes"
"Very little is known about the size of the universe. It may be trillions of light years across, or even infinite in size. The observable (or visible) universe, consisting of all locations that could have affected us since the Big Bang given the finite speed of light, is certainly finite. The comoving distance to the edge of the visible universe is about 46.5 billion light years in all directions from the earth; thus the visible universe may be thought of as a perfect sphere with the earth at its center and a diameter of about 93 billion light years."
As for the shape, "currently, most cosmologists believe that the observable universe is very nearly spatially flat, with local wrinkles where massive objects distort spacetime, just as the surface of a lake is nearly flat. This opinion was strengthened by the latest data from WMAP, looking at "acoustic oscillations" in the cosmic microwave background radiation temperature variations."
2006-12-30 03:13:54 · answer #1 · answered by ╦╩╔╩╦ O.J. ╔╩╦╠═ 6 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Its not really infinite but for all intents and purposes it may as well be. Consider:
The universe is expanding at the speed of light, has been doing so since the big bang. If we travelled the the edge of the universe NOW at the speed of light by the time we got there it would have continued to grow and be twice the size it was when we left.
Shape, thats harder but essentially it should be spherical or if taking time into account a cone shape (yes this is a simplification).
2006-12-29 23:22:57 · answer #2 · answered by delprofundo 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
According to Einstein, the universe was created from a finite amount of energy. Energy can not be created or destroyed. Therefore, the universe is finite.
The universe's shape is a little hard to define because once the universe spent the greatest part of the energy from the Big Bang, gravity then took over, every thing in the universe acted on everything else, causing most scientists to theorize that the universe has somewhat of an amoebic shape that is roughly spherical.
2006-12-29 23:40:13 · answer #3 · answered by rawson_wayne 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It is possible that the spatial universe is finite in extent but has no boundary. In that case, the shape of the spatial universe would be a 3-dimensional sphere, or more generally, a 3-dim sphere quotiented out by a finite group.
For an article on this, consult "The Poincare Dodecahedral Space and the Mystery of the Missing Fluctuations" in Notices of the American Mathematical Society. (The article is about 2 years old now I think).
I should point out the other possibilities: The simply connected cover of the spatial universe could also be 3-dim Euclidean space or 3-dim hyperbolic space. All these possibilities depend upon what the curvature of space is (when you ignore local variations caused by planets and stars, etc).
2006-12-30 02:21:07 · answer #4 · answered by robert 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It certainly is possible to be infinite. We may never know. As for shape, if it is infinite, it couldn't really have a shape because shape implies limits.
2006-12-30 00:02:16 · answer #5 · answered by Shifter 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Given an age of 15 billion years, and a big-bang expansion rate of c, the universe is finite, and about 15 billion light-years in diameter. Plug in updated or more accurate numbers, it always comes out finite.
Its four-dimensional shape is dependent on its total mass; last I checked the measurements of total mass did not convincingly point to one shape over another.
2006-12-29 23:26:41 · answer #6 · answered by Tekguy 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
That's the general scuttlebutt, but having no way to verify it for sure, let's just wink and SAY it is. After all, its a real bear, simply trying to get from Maryland to Pennsylvania if the weather is fussy, so visiting Ursa Major is, by definition, low on the list of priorities. Insofar as its shape goes, as long as its more coherent than the Fox News Channel, I'm happy.
2006-12-29 22:52:52 · answer #7 · answered by gamerathon 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
yes it is infinite and as for the shape, it is always changing.
2006-12-29 22:45:43 · answer #8 · answered by tooshy 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
We don't know yet. If we'd found the end, we could say finite. Since we haven't, we can't say either way. Big Bang theory implies finite, but there are other theories.
2006-12-29 22:51:06 · answer #9 · answered by Philo 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes it's infinite and it is torus-shaped.
2006-12-29 22:45:44 · answer #10 · answered by Nick B 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋