What's outside space ....

[Fab Foodie]

[media]
]View: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oTmJgUJcDyc&feature=player_embedded[/media]


The current, observable universe has been determined to have a width of 156 billion light years, with an error of less than 1%, by the latest deep-space telescope WMAP. At first, it might seem impossible that scientists are so sure of this astronomical measurement, but this figure has been narrowed by years of research and determined by several paths of inquiry. Also, the size of the universe is intimately dependent on its shape, age, acceleration, and total mass, so we are very confident in this figure.

In 2003, the Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe sent back enough data for scientists to publish extremely dependable studies that established two previously unknown facts about the universe. They determined our universe is flat, which means standard Euclidean geometry is valid on the largest scale. This can be understood by saying a straight line more or less stays a straight line for as long as it extends. They also established that the universe is accelerating at an ever-increasing rate, which means that all mass is flying away from each other at faster and faster speeds. The WMAP data measured the temperature, called the cosmic microwave background radiation, of our observable universe with an unprecedented accuracy, to within a 5% error. From these facts, we can deduce figures such as the radius of the universe.

Remember that the size of the universe is not a constant value, nor is it the size of an object as we traditionally understand it. The size of the universe is actually the size of space itself, and as space expands, so does the space between planets, stars, and galaxies. At the beginning of the universe, the Big Bang created space and time as we know them. From that moment, space has been expanding, so we find its size by measuring how far light could have traveled since the Big Bang, along with how much space itself stretched.

We can only possibly look or communicate up to the edge, or "horizon," of where light has traveled since the beginning of the universe. The size of the universe means the space in which we can interact with anything. We will never ever know what is "beyond" this boundary, because there is no way to know anything about it, so it's illogical to consider the realm "outside" of our universe, or to wonder what we are expanding "into."

An independent measure of the size of our universe can be given by studying the oldest stars. The oldest stars we have found are probably somewhere between 11 and 14 billion light years old. If we had stars older than the largest distance light could have traveled, then we'd know there was something wrong with our calculations; there would not be enough time for them to evolve. However, these values are consistent with everything else we know about the universe.

Are you sure?

 

[cyberknight]

If not its enough techno babble to shut a 5 year old up

 

[Fab Foodie]

If not its enough techno babble to shut a 5 year old up

Well it'll keep me quiet a while, that's for sure.

 

[Arch]

Of course, if you want to encourage his imagination, turn the question round and ask "So, what do you think might be outside?"

 

[Smokin Joe]

Of course, if you want to encourage his imagination, turn the question round and ask "So, what do you think might be outside?"

Never encourage anyone's imagination, particularly a childs.

It leads to nothing but trouble.

 

[vernon]

An independent measure of the size of our universe can be given by studying the oldest stars. The oldest stars we have found are probably somewhere between 11 and 14 billion light years old. If we had stars older than the largest distance light could have traveled, then we'd know there was something wrong with our calculations; there would not be enough time for them to evolve. However, these values are consistent with everything else we know about the universe.

Light years are a measure of distance and not age. This paragraph does not appear to make sense.

 

[cyberknight]

Light years are a measure of distance and not age. This paragraph does not appear to make sense.

Yes light years are a measure of distance and the furthest we have seen so far is around14 billion light years hence the light has taken that long to reach us , the further you travel in light years the younger the stars are .

If the light takes that long to reach us then when the light set out it was 14 billion years ago , so the star that made the light is 14 billion years younger then the light from our sun etc etc .

 

[Fiona N]

... the Big Bang created space and time as we know them....

That's the bit my mind always has problems with

 

[threebikesmcginty]

3Bm's skull

Oi I heard that, pardon!

 

[asterix]

The only honest answer has to be that we don't know.

My own opinion is that once have have got as far as we possibly can (or rather, impossibly can) we start coming back to where we started. Go on, prove me wrong!

 

[snailracer]

That's the bit my mind always has problems with

The "no space and time beyond the edge" thing, along with the "universe curves back on itself" idea, are just two theories amongst many.
From Wikipedia:
"Both popular and professional research articles in cosmology often use the term "universe" to mean "observable universe"... No evidence exists to suggest that the boundary of the observable universe constitutes a boundary on the universe as a whole, nor do any of the mainstream cosmological models propose that the universe has any physical boundary in the first place..."
The "flatness" of the universe does suggest to me that, beyond the observable edge where light and matter have reached and returned to us on earth for us to observe, there simply lies more space.

 

[ufkacbln]

Wait until he transfers the answer to his teacher!

I remember my mother being given a lecture that they taught English History in Schools....

In this case the Stone of Scone belonged in Westminster - it was not "nicked from the Scots" , also all the kings and queens who had been crowned upon it had not been ruling illegitimately also it was the genuine article not a random hearth stone given to the english by a canny scot who had then hidden the genuine article!

My mother's version was more fun though!

.

 

[vernon]

Yes light years are a measure of distance and the furthest we have seen so far is around14 billion light years hence the light has taken that long to reach us , the further you travel in light years the younger the stars are .

If the light takes that long to reach us then when the light set out it was 14 billion years ago , so the star that made the light is 14 billion years younger then the light from our sun etc etc .

Sorry but I must be dense.

Surely you mean:

Yes light years are a measure of distance and the the furthest we have seen so far is around 14 billion light years. The light has taken 14 billion years to reach us. The further away the stars are in light years, the younger they are.

You seem to mixing time and distance indiscriminately.

 

[cyberknight]

Sorry but I must be dense.

Surely you mean:

Yes light years are a measure of distance and the the furthest we have seen so far is around 14 billion light years. The light has taken 14 billion years to reach us. The further away the stars are in light years, the younger they are.

You seem to mixing time and distance indiscriminately.

Time and distance are linked.............
as light travels at constant speed it in this case takes 14 billion years for the light to get to us so the light started out 14 billion years ago making the age of the star when the light was emitted that we see 14 billion years younger than our stand point.

eg

Think about this Light from the Sun takes aprox 8 minutes to reach Earth.
So if the Sun where to disappear, the the Light would take 8 Minutes to stop reaching Earth, so it would appear in the Sky for 8 minutes after it had disappeared.
Also Gravity travels at the same speed as light, so the Earth would continue to Orbit around nothing for 8 minutes.

 

[vernon]

Time and distance are not linked.............

A light year is purely a unit of distance. It's unfortunate that it has year in the title as distance is the only thing that is being measured.

A light year is 9,460,730,472,580.8 km

Something observed to be 14 billion lightyears away happened 14 billion years ago but is 14 x 9,460,730,472,580.8 km away.

It's more convenient to refer to the distance as 14 light years but again I re-iterate it is a distance.