My biggest "mind blown" thoughts on this subject have to do with empty space in the universe. We can "see" celestial objects with our most powerful telescopes, but we can't "see" the empty space where these objects exist. How far does this empty space extend? Is it infinite? I can't wrap my head around that. Is it not infinite? IF so, there must be a physical barrier where it ends? IF so, what lies beyond that barrier? I can't wrap my head around that either? Also......if space is infinite, could there be an infinite number of "universes" of celestial objects that are simply too far away to see? The Big Bang Theory (not the show).........seems plausible enough. I mean.....the little I know about refining hydrocarbons is that all those reactions comes down to temperature and pressure. Perhaps as black holes and neutron stars collapse into each other, and they in turn are eaten up by larger black holes, and they in turn eat whole galaxies, perhaps enough temperature and pressure are created to cause some type of reaction on some type of element or elements to create a "Big Bang." Perhaps it's even an element or elements that haven't found their way to the periodic table of elements on Earth yet. IF that were possible, could it be that the "Big Bang"--a defining event in our history that we only have the capacity and knowledge to theorize about--could it be that the "Big Bang" is merely an analog of an "exhale" in a single breath of an immortal universe? And the analog for an "inhale" would be black holes combining, getting bigger, eating galaxies, and eventually having the strength to draw far away celestial objects into their grasp.........until they have the sufficient size and strength to create whatever combination of temperature, pressure, elements and whatever to......"Big Bang" again? I mean, let's face it: our human concept of time and distance is fairly primitive. Maybe we haven't been thinking large enough.
If this helps: if you let space have even a little bit of curvature, it becomes possible to have a huge universe that doesn't need to be infinite and doesn't need to have something "outside" or "beyond" itself. It's (much) easier to understand this by analogy to two dimensions. If the universe was all just like the surface of a balloon, then if you walked far enough, you could end up where you started. Maybe the universe could act like that, if we had a spaceship that could travel really fast for billions of years in a "straight" line, maybe it would get back to our solar system. Also by analogy, we think the universe is expanding, and this is like someone inflating the balloon of the universe, even while we run around on the surface of that balloon and send spaceships around, look at starlight, etc.
Maybe I'm a dummy (ok....I am), but that doesn't help me. I feel like you're giving a theoretical definition to nothingness. BUT.....I'd love to read more about the subject...........if you can't point me in the right direction.
Well, yeah, my post was not too great. But I teach some of this material (which probably makes my explanations even worse, LOL). Consider: I like that "a very short introduction" series and think they do a good job.
That's what top physicists believe. The time outs are crushed into a singularity where not even a stubborn coach's brain can escape!
Good thread. I think you can do something similar the other way. Meaning if you drill down to the protons and neutrons and quarks and what not. When you factor in how things can be so small to be mind blowing, while the universe (and beyond) can be so big as to be mind blowing.... we’ll its really incredible. Never mind the fact that all of underatanding g is just human understanding. What about other dimensions? What about time? I’ve had many “defining moments” in my life. Both good and bad. And to think those singular moments are so completely nothingness in the grand scheme of all that. Or maybe they are everything? Who knows?!?!? Probably why many scientists are still very spiritual. Even if science can explain “it all”... it’d still be so amazing as to be spiritual. All that and we haven’t even talked about tardigrades!
honest q: is neil degrasse tyson the real deal? or is he just a real good marketing breh? much like dr phil.
Excellent post. Came in here wanting to post something similar, but you said it much better than I ever could have. On the balloon thing... If space is essentially the surface of a balloon, with a little bit of curvature, and could be a 3-dimensional type sphere, it still blows my mind trying to wrap my head around how something that is seemingly infinite could ever have a curve to it. By definition, doesn't a curve lie on the outer line of something? This brings to question the very limits of the word infinite. Thinking about how far inifnite is, on a scale of one like @don grahamleone mentioned just makes my head hurt and blows my mind. No way are we alone in all of this crazy crazy expanse.
I was watching Steven Hawking being interviewed by Neil DeGrasse Tyson and his answer for how reverse time travel would be possible was the use of negative energy. I've gotta assume that would be needed for faster than light technology too considering mass can't even get close to approaching the speed of light.
It appears that everything is expanding away from us, which would lead you to believe we're the center of the universe. However, we're in a pancake of stars that blur our ability to see what part of the pancake we're in. So, if you look at one of those galaxies between visible stars with the technology we have, everything is expanding away from them as well. This just means that every galaxy with technological means would have the same initial technology that would make them believe they're the center of the universe as well. Even the other stars in our galaxy with intelligent scientists would be able to observe the same thing. We're all getting further away from one another.
http://www.as.utexas.edu/astronomy/education/spring06/komatsu/secure/lecture18.pdf I have to assume that there is something to see no matter how small the dark space is that we look at provided we have a powerful enough telescope. However, correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think that's what you're talking about. I think you're saying, 'if we travel to the moon, how much dark matter did we go through to get there.' Is that about right?
In an interview, Neil DeGrasse Tyson asked Stephen Hawking what he would ask Sir Issac Newton. He wanted to ask Newton "Is a solar system stable?" and "What happens to a star that cannot support its own gravity?" These were both questions that Hawking found an answer for. Later, Neil asks him about what happened before the Big Bang. Hawking didn't have much of an answer. His 'complaint' was that Newton didn't ask the right questions. Maybe your question is just the next big question. In other words, is there a force that will oppose expansion at some point causing an "inhale"? Is expansion causing pressure to the center of the big bang that creates the next Big Bang? What happened before the big bang? I've heard that billions of matter and anti-matter annihilated during the big bang, but what is left over in asymmetric annihilation pairs is one part matter. The universe we observe (matter) is comprised of that one in a billion annihilation pairs. My brain is tired. I'll stop posting: here.
We know that gravity bends light. If your example of the balloon is true (the balloon thing makes sense as far as the shape of 'all matter' in the universe) that answers why we're expanding away from all other stars and all other stars are expanding from other stars (because the rubber molecules stretch away from each other until the balloon pops). However, this example doesn't lead you to believe the universe is finite even if the shape of the universe's contained matter could have the elasticity of a balloon. There needs to be a force that stops expansion. I'm not saying there isn't one, I'm saying there's no observable force stopping our expansion. All that being said, I absolutely love your analogy. It helps me visualize where the big bang would've started. You'd be able to calculate the angle of expansion of other celestial matter and go.. oh.. we came from that direction! (aka the center of the balloon)
