given the milky way as the vantage point. Or is our view of the edge 13 billion light years away in all directions?
2007-08-07 16:27:34 · 3 answers · asked by Mr. Bodhisattva 6 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Astronomy & Space
No, everywhere is equivalent, and there is no 'edge'. Curiously, the same can be said for ANY point in the universe; each seems to itself to be the centre.
To explain this; consider the surface of a sphere. From any point on that sphere, the distribution of other points is the same (each point is equivalent). There is no boundary (in two dimensions), and yet there is a finite surface. The universe is similar, only in three dimensions.
The exact shape of the 'curvature' of space is still open to debate.
2007-08-07 16:43:25 · answer #1 · answered by AndrewG 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
We can only see as far as our light sphere (the observable universe) extends. Since the speed of light is finite, the we can only see as far as is limited by the age of the universe. Any irregularities are artifacts of the anisotropies of expansion, not necessarily having anything to do with the "border" if such a thing exists, of the universe. To the KennyB above, most empirical evidence points to a (globally) flat universe, not a curved one. Any curvature wouldn't really have an effect on the size of the observable universe in the way that you seem to be thinking (ie., the curvature of the Earth creating an artificial horizon).
2007-08-07 23:45:04 · answer #2 · answered by Ron 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
nope,it travels at constant speed in all directions.
2007-08-08 01:46:11 · answer #3 · answered by Faology 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋