Sitting here browsing various blogs, something just popped into my head: what’s the end of the universe like? Does it even exist? Let’s say in theory, we had a spacecraft that could move fast enough and far enough to reach the ‘edge of the universe’. What would be there? A wall? A sign that says “dead end, turn back here”?
Hrm…
11 comments
Comments feed for this article
Trackback link
http://system13.org/2006/10/18/the-end-of-the-universe-whats-there/trackback/
October 18, 2006 at 1:43 pm
LearningNerd
Have you ever seen “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy?” I think you’d like it. It’ll answer all your many questions about the universe, including this one!
But there probably isn’t an end to the universe. If space is true space, then space is nothingness, and nothingness is, well, nothing. And nothing can’t end, because it’s not there in the first place!
But if there is an end to the universe (like a big brick wall), what’s beyond it? Another universe? And what’s beyond that one? Any way you look at it, there’s some sort of infinity — infinite space, infinite universes, or just an infinite number of questions that we’ll never be able to answer!
October 18, 2006 at 4:57 pm
Josh
LearningNerd: I’ve heard about the book (a lot), but I’ve never actually read it. It’s on my, you guessed it, ‘to read’ list.
Yeah, I hadn’t really startled to tackle the “what’s beyond the brick wall at the end of the universe, if there’s a brick wall?” I was more wondering what the brick wall would *be* like. Solid? Liquid? A time wall, where time goes all screwy once you pass the point?
I think you’re right; there’ll always be something (lots of somethings, actually) that we just can’t answer.
May 25, 2007 at 3:41 am
Jim Taylor
I have contemplated this for a very long time. I have come to the conclusion that space is beyond any humans comprehension to cope or understand that space goes on forever, with no END.. For me this has no equal in my understanding of anything we equate to. How can there be no end to something?, We understand ends to everything here on earth. Right? Talking in terms of space, makes us so insignificant in our being on this speck of dust in space, that in the great scheme of things, we are less than atom of dust particle. I cannot adaquately discribe why we are where we are in space and time, its to overwhelming to me.
September 5, 2007 at 3:35 pm
kyle
there is’nt an end to space but it isn’t a never ending nothingness I think that if you started from one part of the universe and went to the outer edge you would end up where you started.
September 18, 2007 at 4:52 pm
howard
i read a book about albert einstein and he did not believe in an infinite space and explain it in that space curves back on itself. traveling forever but never coming to an end, like for example the earth itself, you can go around and around all you want and would never come to an end meaning the world we live on does not have an infinite size but there would be no end if you kept walking forever.kyle i think you hit it right on the head.
December 10, 2007 at 1:00 pm
jim h
October 22, 2007 at 4:42 pm
jim h
Infinity is easy to understand, it is just that.
What can never be understood but is fun to contemplate is all that exists in this endlessness.
Nothing but pure empty space can be infinite. Think about it. if anything else were infinite it would fill all empty space and we know that is not true.
December 14, 2007 at 9:11 am
Josh
Jim: Overwhelming is a good word for it.
Kyle: Yeah, I’ve heard that before, but don’t particularly understand it.
Howard: I think part of the problem is that I (and many others) picture the universe as a certain shape, which does not lend itself well to the idea of “space curving back on itself.”
Jim: I know the technical definition of it, but that doesn’t make it any easier for me to take it all in.
Technically speaking, if the universe is endless, and there’s “stuff” throughout it - dust, planets, stars - would it ever be possible to count all of the items? Or, since the stuff exists in a space that never ends, wouldn’t the number just keep going up?
April 12, 2008 at 3:16 pm
G.Kelly Moran
I believe that “God” is the “Big Bang” and our existence is for ifinity and we will sense it in some peaceful manner..
April 13, 2008 at 6:05 pm
Josh
G. Kelly: I’m not really sure what you mean about “sensing it in some peaceful manner.”
May 15, 2008 at 7:58 pm
thinker
i believe thats the universe is not infinite. there is no such thing as infinite in any part of the universe.even number are not infinite becuase no matter how small and many times u write it you are limited by the size of the universe. the universe is however expanding into nothingness. it will keep expanding into the black nothingingess.if this is true then the 4th dimension(time) is beyond our universe. ex.there had to be a time where the singulatiry occupied the nothingness of space.when the big bang occured this matter was shot into the dark void of space and till this day is expanding at a accelerating rate.but there is however a limit to this void. if there is not we might as well claim it as magic and throw away science
June 1, 2008 at 8:01 pm
enty
mmm… but they way i look at it is that, if there is an “end” then whats beyond that?
say the room your in now is the whole universe and space… and the walls are the end.. whats beyond the walls.. even if its a “wall” then how far does it go?
it is baffling to me…