If our Universe is still expanding with the effects of the Big Bang, what is it expanding in to?

Question

Whilst I have a pssing interest in astronomy and physics I fail to grasp the more scientific aspects of the theories, so if anyone can answer my question very simply, I'd be grateful; if the Universe is still expanding, what space is it filling as it grows?

Thanks!

Answer 1

A giant super Walmart

Answer 2

It's not actually filling any space, it's creating it as it goes.

. See this dot. You could fit 500 billion protons onto it. Take one of those protons and slice it up into a billion pieces. You'll then have something which is roughly equal to the size of the singularity that went "whoosh" at the moment of creation (aka the big bang).

The singularity was so unimaginably small, it had no spatial dimensions - which is just as well, as there was no space to contain it. Neither was there any time, so it had no history, present or future.

The sudden, catastrophic expansion that created our universe gave rise to space and time, it created both as it grew.

This is a situation that continues today. Outside of the universe there is no space, nothing for it to fill. Everything that exists, exists within the universe. So, while your question is a good one, there is no answer to it.

A great book you could read is Bill Bryson's A Brief History of Nearly Everything. Very straightforward and clear - perfect for beginners.

Answer 3

Ok, I am guna take a go at explaining this in very simple terms because it is an incredibley complicated answer. Basically the big bang was an event of such power and magnitude, us humans couldn't possibley comprehend it. I presume you have heard of string theory? Well the atom is far from the smallest unit of anythig that things are made from, we found out atoms are made from quarks and quarks something else, the list goes on. The smallest thing that anything is made from is known as string, it is simpley energy vibrating on a certain frequency, there are alot of different kinds, and to give you an idea of the sheer utter mass power of the big bang, it's force was so awesome, it caused these vibrating pieces of energy, which have vibrated from the day of the blast for so long, that now all matter is made from them. THAT'S how powerful the bang was, billions of years later the strings are still there, and nothing as we know it now existed before it happened.
So to answer your question, it is not expanding into anything, because life and matter as we know it do not exist until the strings(making atoms making stars etc etc) created it, the universe is simply being created as it expands. The concept is almost impossible for feeble human minds that don't spend all their waking hours studying physics, but that's the way it is.

Answer 4

To tell you the truth this question is based on opinion because there is no definite way to determine if the universe is actually still expanding or if it has an end personally i believe it's like continuous and i believe we aren't supposed to fully grasp this subject but actually to challenge it. Well i hope i was of some help.

Samz 8th grade West Moor

Answer 5

It's not expanding *into* anything, and it's not filling any "space" as it expands. It's the space itself that is expanding, and there is no "outside" of space.

One good example often given is to think of our 3-dimensional universe as the 2-dimensional surface of a ballon (and ignore the third dimension all around the balloon). If you lived on the surface of the balloon, as more air was added you'd see the "universe" of balloon surface all around you expand equally in all directions, taking anything on the surface with it as it expands. You have to allow your mind to ignore anything not on the balloon's 2D surface for this picture to make sense -- just like with the universe, nothing besides the 3D space in which we live exists (or at least is known to exist).

Space itself is expanding, not the stuff in it.
Hope that helps.

Answer 6

It's not expanding into anything. Empty space is still space and there cannot be space outside of the universe. Rather space itself is expanding, like a balloon blowing up. Although it's tempting to ask whats outside the balloon for it to expand into the question makes no sense as there is literally nothing outside of the universe, not just empty space.

Answer 7

The simple answer is that our physics have no way of explaining it. Scientists say there is nothing to expand into because of higher mathematics and all that. But the fact is that we have absolutely no way of interacting (so far) with what is out there, so we assume it's nothing. I still say it's quite possible that we are expanding into another universe, not probable, but possible.

Imagine you had asked 200 years ago what causes disease. We would not have known about bacteria yet. We are in that same stage now about some of these cosmological things. We just don't know yet.

Answer 8

The universe does not expand or contract. It is constant and there is nothing "beyond" the universe. It had no beginning and will never end. It has no center, edges, corners, up, down, left, right, north or south, east or west, power, gravity or anything else. It is not made of anything. It just is. The universe is absolutely nothing. But it contains everything known and lots of unknowns.

Answer 9

The Universe is EVERYTHING therefore it is just expanding (not into anything) as there is no thing for it to expand into.
The same logic applies to what happened before the BIG BANG, nothing as there was no before, as the BB was the start of time itself

Answer 10

the universe is expanding, yes. what it is expanding into, is itself. there is no time outside the known universe. what the universe is leaving behind in its wake, is time and space. the universe doesn't expand into space. the universe creates space.