If the universe is expanding all the time... what does it expand into?

Answer 1

The border of the Universe is expanding into nothingness. Outside of the "edge" (there is no edge, because the word implies that you could fall off, which you can't - there's just an end) there is nothingness. Absolute nothingness. There is no energy, there are no atoms or specks of dust, there are no physical laws (because there is nothing for those physical laws to apply TO.

The universe is also expanding within itself. Imagine taking a rubber band. Now, put two dots on the rubber band, a couple of inches apart.

Now, stretch out the rubber band - that's what the universe is doing. The thing is, to YOU, it looks like the rubber band is larger, and the distance between the dots is bigger. However, on the scale of the universe, inches are actually getting longer. The universe is expanding in such a way that while it seems that inches are the same, in reality, an inch 5 billion years ago was shorter, from the perspective of an observer, than an inch is today.

Weird, huh?

Answer 2

Trick question. The universe as we know it is not expanding - we are getting to know its boundaries - there is no outside of it found yet. It's all speculation and mind boggling. The universe is growing - but if by knowing that then, who is giving us the data or information? Our minds are growing too - who would have thought 25 years ago that every man woman and child would be learning Windows operating systems and such mind-blowing things? We progress as the world became an oyster, the pearls are no longer a valuable asset. Out with the old, in with the new. It's evolution at work. The dark space up above and around the solar system is a mere beginning..the outsides have not been reached let alone seen by any living being nor remotely transmitted to us. If planets die, and they do, then new ones are born. The circles of life in a universe..its amazing don't you think? And to boggle your mind a little more (it isn't intentional) they observe all of this in the dark too!

Answer 3

well...it expands into itself. Basically the universe is thought to be infinitely large, but that doesn't mean it cannot expand. The best analogy is this: imagine a hotel and on floor where there are infinite number of rooms down an infinite hallway. Say the hotel is completely booked; every room on that infinite hallway is occupied. Now what do you do if someone comes wanting a room on the floor? Well, you ask everyone to move over one room to the left! That might sound confusing, but it is kinda meant to be! Infinity's have strange properties and don't 'act' like other numbers. So though spaec is infinite, it still expands.

And it's not like it is expanding into something else. It's more that the space between galaxies is 'stretching' space/time. Think of it like blowing up a balloon: the rubber represents space/time and as it gets larger the rubber expands itself.

I hope this helps!

Answer 4

In the big bang theory it is said that the universe began to expand several millions ago and began to cool.First hydorgen and helium were created. Over the next billion years the first stars galaxies formed gathered together by the force of gravity, Finally planets began to form.
But just after the event (big bang) the universe is believed to have been a knot of tightly packed particles only about the size of a pea. As the temperature increased that pea sized universe became huge where we live now.
Universe is expanding into the space itself.

Answer 5

It isn't expanding into anything.

From an extrinsic (read: outside) point of view, the universe could very well be staying exactly the same size, even though the inside is getting bigger.

Answer 6

It doesn't expand into anything. The universe is all that there is, and it's getting bigger.

Answer 7

Oh its nothing; Absolutely nothing.