If you could travel through space for as long as it takes, what do you think you would find at the end? Would it just go on, forever & ever? Would the stars dissappear, leaving only a black void? Would you go back the pinpoint where everything began? Would you just hit a wall? Or would everything just loop back on itself, in one huge circle?
What do you think you would find?
[This message has been edited by Boondawg (edited 05-11-2006).]
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05:11 PM
PFF
System Bot
ryan.hess Member
Posts: 20784 From: Orlando, FL Registered: Dec 2002
yes. You go far enough (fast enough), you'll eventually end up back in the same spot.
Is that the Einstien thing about nearing the speed of light everything curves? Then eventually back on itself? Or is it the "folding space" thing? Or are they the same?
[This message has been edited by Boondawg (edited 05-11-2006).]
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05:18 PM
Will-Martin Member
Posts: 1164 From: DFW, TX, USA Registered: Aug 2002
If you could travel through space for as long as it takes, what do you think you would find at the end? Would it just go on, forever & ever? Would the stars dissappear, leaving only a black void? Would you go back the pinpoint where everything began? Would you just hit a wall? Or would everything just loop back on itself, in one huge circle?
What do you think you would find?
You would travel past a number of galaxies much like our own, until, much father past even those far away systems, you would detect a MASSIVE presence. Eventually, slowing from the speed of light, you would reach the glimmering surface of the pocket of void our "space" is contained inside. You would deploy the deep space examination device and it would conclude that on the other side of this barrier is good old H20. More than is measurable. More of it than has ever been seen before. Better not touch it though, because the surface tension of this barrier is all that is keeping all that water from flooding space. Unfortunately, on your way home, before you can report the most historic finding of our time, the garage door opens, allowing in light from a super star, unfathomably larger than our own. This instantly vaporizes anything and everything we have perceived as our world, as the small droplet of water in which we all once resided dries up. Tom begins to sweep out his garage, oblivious to our plight.
[This message has been edited by Will-Martin (edited 05-11-2006).]
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05:37 PM
1986 Fiero GT Member
Posts: 3383 From: Eden, NY USA Registered: Mar 2005
Originally posted by Boondawg: Is that the Einstien thing about nearing the speed of light everything curves? Then eventually back on itself? Or is it the "folding space" thing? Or are they the same?
As best I can understand it, the universe is like a balloon. (an inflating balloon at that) We can only see so far, because light takes time to travel, so we can only see so far back in the history of the universe... We're like 2 dimensional paper cutouts on the surface of the balloon. But if you go far enough in one direction, faster than the expansion of the universe (otherwise you'd never get there), you'll get back to where you started.
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05:46 PM
ryan.hess Member
Posts: 20784 From: Orlando, FL Registered: Dec 2002
------------------ "Most people are not good at their jobs. I may be one of those people but I'm not sure. What I AM sure of is the fact that I can kick your ass. And while that might not be important, somehow it soothes me..."
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06:33 PM
PFF
System Bot
lurker Member
Posts: 12351 From: salisbury nc usa Registered: Feb 2002
when you go outside at night and look up, youre seeing infinity. no big mystery, just a very, Very, VERY big, mostly empty place. now and then a galactic cluster, here and there life. expressions like "the edge of the universe" are just metaphors.
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07:35 PM
Stript96 Member
Posts: 190 From: San Antonio, Tx Registered: Feb 2003
With complete speculation, I'd say that space goes on for a very good distance. And when you hit the outer rim of this exanding universe the laws of physics do not apply so I think you would never be able to hit this outer rim of space. Infinite space is mind boggling.
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07:57 PM
DtheC Member
Posts: 3395 From: Newton Iowa, USA Registered: Sep 2005
We know it takes a long long long time to even get to the nearest stars in the Milky Way galaxy, using any chemical fuels. That's why you must go through space and time using a wormhole, but just how to guide this wormhole and the size of the wormhole seems like anyones guess.
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08:26 PM
ryan.hess Member
Posts: 20784 From: Orlando, FL Registered: Dec 2002
If you could travel through space for as long as it takes, what do you think you would find at the end? Or would everything just loop back on itself, in one huge circle?
If I can remember correctly when picard and the enterprise went to the end of the galaxy, there was like a space funnel with giant snowflake looking things going into it.
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11:02 PM
May 12th, 2006
Blacktree Member
Posts: 20770 From: Central Florida Registered: Dec 2001
Bluntly speaking, I wouldn't be very interested in the edge of the universe. I'd much rather explore the other 7 dimensions, and possibly find a way to travel between universes. Now THAT would be cool... assuming I wasn't discombobulated by the new universe's laws of physics and/or gosh numbers.