• Question: What are the boundaries of the Universe?

    Asked by anon-225158 to Natalie, Simon, Selen, Paul, Nawapat, Katy on 13 Nov 2019. This question was also asked by anon-224974, anon-224957.
    • Photo: Natalie Fowler

      Natalie Fowler answered on 13 Nov 2019:

      Sorry I haven’t a clue! Maybe a physicist can help you with that one

    • Photo: Katy Bruce

      Katy Bruce answered on 14 Nov 2019:

      I think Nawapat is your best bet for a sensible answer. All I know is that nobody has ever found the boundaries of the universe!

    • Photo: Paul Laurance-Young

      Paul Laurance-Young answered on 14 Nov 2019:

      Is there a boundary of the universe..?

    • Photo: Nawapat Kaweeyanun

      Nawapat Kaweeyanun answered on 16 Nov 2019:

      Hi there! So the universe does not exactly have a rigid boundary, because it keeps expanding equally in all direction when viewed from every point in it! What I am saying is that if you stand at any point inside the universe, you will see every star/galaxy moving away from you no matter where you look. It is as if you are an ant standing on a surface of a balloon which is being blown up forever!

      You may have seen a phrase “observable universe”. This is our best definition for a boundary. All objects in the observable universe emit light that has reached Earth so we can see them. Because the universe is so large and light travels at a finite speed, the furthest objects we see are also objects furthest into the past! What are these furthest objects? Turns out the universe has uniform background – like a smooth curtain – that forms at the same time as the first atoms! Let me know if this explanation helps. 🙂

Comments