Submitted by modsarebrainstems t3_1018gn0 in askscience
ScootysDad t1_j2nid7p wrote
Reply to comment by JonJackjon in How do galaxies move? by modsarebrainstems
This is a trick question. Our current understanding of the universe is this: The portion of the universe that is visible to us is about 93-ish billion light years in diameter or about 28.5 gigaparsecs. Space is expanding at a rate of about 45mi (73km) for every megaparsec. Consequently, beyond the observable universe there are things racing away from earth (frame of reference) faster than light speed thus are part of our particle universe but forever disconnected from our reality. We will never know because any information emitted will never reach us.
I'm hopeful that one day we will devise the necessary physics to dwell into the edges of the universe much like the edges between us and the point of singularity of the black holes.
An interesting thought experiment, as I said earlier, there are things racing away from us at faster than light speed. From their frame of reference, we are receding from them at equal rate. So technically we're both right. We are going through the universe on a roller coaster traveling faster than light. "Make it so"
Mars_rocket t1_j2pabn2 wrote
Furthermore, from the perspective of somebody 93 billion light years away the universe extends equally in all directions, including the direction opposite to that pointing at us. Therefore it must be infinite.
[deleted] t1_j2pn423 wrote
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