What Is The Universe Expanding Into?

Forbes ^ | 2/19/16 | Ethan Siegel

[Duke C.]

One of the most spectacular discoveries of the 20th century was that the Universe itself was expanding. When Einstein put forth his general theory of relativity, he swiftly recognized that there was a consequence he was unhappy about: a Universe that was filled with matter in all directions would be unstable against gravitational collapse. Einstein’s fix for this was to make up an invisible, outward-pushing force that prevented this collapse from occurring, a cosmological constant. But if you didn’t include this cosmological constant, others soon realized, you’d wind up with a Universe that wasn’t static in time, but where the fabric of space itself was either expanding or contracting with time.

[Yaelle]

Maybe the Webb telescope will help - it’s scheduled launch is October of 2018.

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The WEBB and the HUBBELL?? When does the CHELSEA launch??

[smokingfrog]

http://www.astro.ucla.edu/~wright/CosmoCalc.html

[FunkyZero]

I have great difficulty with infinity. My brain has a hard time thinking around the concept of static, beginning and end. I always tend to believe the universe is expanding due to an initial energy release, and that eventually it will slowly collapse back into a single point again. Of course, that is my brain thinking there is actually a beginning and an end, or a static size. Heck, the universe may NOT be expanding... what if we are just inside a scattered random solar jet stream and we can't see beyond the other things moving along with us.

Or what if we are just in a small section of the universe that experience an energy event that starting pushing things away, but most of the rest of the universe is still and we just can't see that far. It's definitely fun to think about it. But like the author, I doubt humans will be around long enough in the scope of time to ever figure it out.

[fedupjohn]

Yes PrincePriciple! I do agree, can you Imagine, as we discussed this, people were putting pictures up on Facebook of their dogs farting. lol!

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks Duke C..

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[sparklite2]

The answer is that there is a speed of light limitation on light. There is no such limitation on space’s expansion.

[fedupjohn]

Thank you all,gentleman, I have not had an intellect conversation like that in years!, Very enjoyable!

[SunkenCiv]

The actual universe is “allowed to” expand faster than the velocity of light. Pretty cool, really. ;’)

[SunkenCiv]

I did very little, thanks for your kind remarks!

[tet68]

I wondered where all those argyle socks were coming from!

[Redcitizen]

He had a bunch more stuff about this being a virtual universe- sorta like the holodeck on star trek the next generation. When the 7 day simulation ends, we enter into the real universe.

Yes, totally worth the wait. See you there.

[V K Lee]

Given to what is seen here on Earth, my best guesstimate would be pandemonium.

[MHGinTN]

As The Creator is stretching out the heavens the energy in the zero point field is increasing, and at an accelerating pace. Like a stretching rubberband, the energy potential is enormous now. ... takes a lot of energy to do the Rapture then the remaking of the planet ...

[TexasTransplant]

Sheesh

[TexasTransplant]

Wrong!!!!

Without the World we have NOTHING!

AND... (in my best announcer voice)

http://www.documentarywire.com/how-beer-saved-the-world/

(I watch this like 4 - 5 times a year and still love it)

[TexasTransplant]

**** “ I doubt humans will be around long enough in the scope of time to ever figure it out” *****

Since you haven’t tackled Entropy...

“Entropy what does it matter? If ever disproved ... We will be too Old to care!” original quote Texas Transplant 2016

TT

[PreciousLiberty]

“We all know Mr. Trump is a savvy business man and golf course builder.”

The universe is expanding at a rate only slightly slower than Trump’s ego...

[Ezekiel]

That was entertaining. Thanks!

[Rockingham]

The short, simple answer: the universe is expanding, with nothing existing outside of it. Yet that does not deal with dark energy and dark matter, the existence of which is accepted but is mostly conjectural as to its properties. Thus, in addition to our visible universe, there is also a coexistent attached universe composed of dark matter and dark energy of different properties and dimensions that our visible universe reacts with through gravity and probably also in other ways at the subatomic level. Remarkably, a major insight of modern cosmology — that much more exists than the visible universe — is also a proposition of modern Christian theology.

[BroJoeK]

Dick Vomer: "I was wondering the same thing but a little different... when we go to the "beginning of time", what is the second before that called?
If we go to the "end of time"...what is the second after it called?"

Heaven.
The end of the Natural Realm, the border lands, the place where science ends and our religion continues.