Question about the center of the universe...?

Question

My understanding is that the universe has no borders, no edge, and if you could somehow cross the entire universe you'd end up where you started (sort of like Asteroids for Atari, but..not exactly).

So, while you could say the universe has no center, wouldn't it be just as accurate to say that every point could be considered the center?

Answer 1

No center. No edge. No way to go around.

:-)

And yes, to say that every point is the center (i.e. equal) is a much better way of talking about it than that there is no center at all, because the expansion can be observed from everywhere equally, which means that every naive observer will think they are sitting at the center.

This is, IMHO, God's sense of humor making ultimate fun of geocentrists. They always wanted to be at the center so badly, so God put them at the center. But he indeed managed to put ALL geocentrists at the center... even the ones living in the Andromeda galaxy.

I find that absolutely hilarious.

:-)

Answer 2

Okay, first off, there is no center of the UNIVERSE.
The center astronomers mention is for the OBSERVABLE universe.

And when astronomers say there's no centre of the observable universe, they mean that there's no uniform pattern in which the observable universe is laid out around a given point. Of course there's a geometric centre of the observable universe. Unfortunately, since the universe is in constant expansion (every point is expanding from every other point), we don't have a proper point of observation therefore we cannot properly tell where the geometric centre of the observable universe is.

Just to make things clear, the universe doesn't quite contract like a balloon where the air is expanding outward from the centre, it expands more like a loaf of raisin bread in an oven (old analogy). Imagine each raisin is a galaxy, or galactic supercluster. When you pick a raisin, you'll notice all the other raisins have spread further apart, with the furthest receding the fastest. That's what universal expansion is like, meaning the center is always changing (even if you stood there for a moment).

So, it's considerably wrong to assume that every point could be considered the center. Remember, the circle only has one center point.

Answer 3

NO.

And while there are some that suggest the idea you stated, I disagree with that concept for the following reason:
ONE:
Astronomers can "see" with the most refined and highly technical optical equipment available objects which are at distances up to 13.7 Billion Light Years away in all directions from Earth.
TWO:
All objects in space are moving at a high rate of speed, and there are an immensely vast number of them. Yet, never in the history of mankind have we heard of any Star flying past Earth (our Solar System) on its path around the circular Universe. Quite the contrary, objects seem to have been moving away from a central point for some 13 odd Billion Years.
THREE
Regarding borders and edges, etc.
Have you ever heard of any Stars or Planets hitting the border (or edge) and bouncing back in a different direction? Probably not...Well then...

Answer 4

That is only one theory of the universe, the 'donut-shaped' universe. If the universe is indeed shaped like that, then no, there could be no single point which could be called the 'center'.

Answer 5

Thats a good point. I never thought of it that way. And I think u might be right with every ppoint could be considered the center. That sounds about right.

Answer 6

the throry is that evrething was in a tight ball and then just expanded away from each other so i would say the center is either sompthing making new matireal or just nothing i also beleive the universe is in the shape of a sphere

Answer 7

all theory. right now the observable universe is 46.5 billion light years wide.

beyond that, we really don't know.

Answer 8

Actually; I am the center.
;-D

Answer 9

yes.

http://math.ucr.edu/home/baez/physics/Relativity/GR/centre.html

http://www.exploratorium.edu/hubble/tools/center.html