• Question: If the space wasn't infinitive what would be the wall or thing that says that the space doesn't continue?

    Asked by Enrique2004 to Ines on 8 Mar 2017.
    • Photo: Ines Goncalves

      Ines Goncalves answered on 8 Mar 2017:


      uff! This is a tough question! astronomy and astrophysics are really not my strong areas but I’ll have a go at answering your question anyway! 🙂 As far as I understand it, it’s not that space is infinite, it’s more that it hasn’t reached it’s full size, space is still expanding. The way I imagine this happening is like a drop of water that falls on a piece of cloth and you see the perimeter of the wet area expanding slowly. Of course, space is not flat so perhaps an expanding soap bubble is a better example but you get my point. Now, it is thought that at some point, space is going to stop expanding and start contracting, eventually leading to the end of space, or the universe. I found an article that explains the 10 most popular theories on how space/the universe will end. Have a look here: http://listverse.com/2014/04/11/10-theories-on-how-the-universe-will-end/

      I hope this helps! Oh, and no, I don’t think there would be a wall at the edge of the universe, in my mind I imagine it more like a dark vacuum, something closer to a precipice. But I’m probably wrong.

Comments