New estimate on size of the universe.

IDLEchild

IDLEchild

Well-Known Member
This might put a damper on space travel plans.

156 billion light years wide.

This article generated quite a few e-mails from readers who were perplexed or flat out could not believe the universe was just 13.7 billion years old yet 158 billion light-years wide. That suggests the speed of light has been exceeded, they argue. So SPACE.com asked Neil Cornish to explain further. Here is his response:
Click to expand...

"In terms of special relativity, Hubble's law appears to be a paradox. But in general relativity we interpret the apparent recession as being due to space expanding (the old raisins in a rising fruit loaf analogy). The galaxies themselves are not moving through space (at least not very much), but the space itself is growing so they appear to be moving apart. There is nothing in special or general relativity to prevent this apparent velocity from exceeding the speed of light. No faster-than-light signals can be sent via this mechanism, and it does not lead to any paradoxes.
Click to expand...


:nerd: WOW!!! :nerd:
 
What happened to infinite? Is there a sign declaring DEAD END at the 156,000,000,000.01 spot?
 
I suppose space itself is infinite, while the universe, ie the matter(more accurately, energy), spawned at Big Bang, is expanding at a finite speed.
Therefore, the universe is finite while space is infinite.
I don't have any scientific support for that statement, it's just something off the top of my head.
 
Gonz said:
What happened to infinite? Is there a sign declaring DEAD END at the 156,000,000,000.01 spot?
Click to expand...

Well it is expanding into something? I suppose the finite space theory won. I am not too sure on the validity of this discovery but the idea is cool nonetheless. The fact that universe is expanding 3 times the speed of light raises some amazing questions.

Is the expansion infinite?

Is it forced (anti-gravity)?

Will it implode on itself or will it die a slow, cold death after it has stressed out its energy?
 
Gonz said:
What happened to infinite? Is there a sign declaring DEAD END at the 156,000,000,000.01 spot?
Click to expand...


no, but there is a lovely restaurant.

just rememeber cricket is not a good dinner conversation there.
(try the fish)
 
paul_valaru said:
no, but there is a lovely restaurant.

just rememeber cricket is not a good dinner conversation there.
(try the fish)
Click to expand...
Don't forget to meet the meat.
 
Whats intertesting is that a force faster than speed of light may possibly have been discovered. Whatever is helping or outright doing the expansion is surely faster than speed of light if this discovery holds true.

This number even pales in comparison to other inflation theories which pin the size of the universe down to 10^26 light years.
 
Well, truth to be told, I always thought the notion that the speed of light is the ultimate speed limit in space was a crock of shit.
 
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