How big is the universe?

Using logic and common sense, we can agree that there are only two possibilities for the size of the universe: Infinite, and finite. The universe must be one of those, and it cannot be the other.

Currently, we can see about 13.7 billion light-years in all directions, as light travels at 1 light-year/year, and the universe has existed for 13.7 billion years.

That, however, is only the portion of the universe that is visible to us currently. Who is to say that it does not extend further?

Personally, I believe that the universe is infinite in size, as the concepts of outside the universe, and the wall (so to speak) of the universe seem impossible. I do realize that an expanding object needs space to expand into, but at the moment, an infinite structure expanding seems less implausible than nothingness outside the universe.

It's deep, I know, but discuss. Don't forget to back up your answers...

 

well no 1 knows how big is a universe,

 

Yes, but they can make a scientific estimate at the genral size of the universe.

Well if you just our Galaxy is aproximitly 100000 light years from one side to the other. Now imagine that there are over 20000billion other galaxys some bigger and some smaller. Not including the space between galaxys, the universe is probably somewhere in the region of 500000000000000000000000billion lightyears across and growing.

What is is expanding into? We will probably never know our generation, maybe in a few thousand years will produce the anser.

 

universe may be endless because every year/second/etc... it may expand

 

No one knows if the universe is infinitely large, or even if ours is the only universe there is.

Although our view of the universe is limited, our imaginations are not. Astronomers have indirect evidence that the universe of galaxies extends far beyond the region we can see. But no one knows if the whole universe is infinitely large - large beyond limit.

According to the leading theories, other parts of the universe may look very different from our own - and may even have different laws of nature. We may never be able to find out for sure. But it is possible that clues to the answer lie in plain view, just waiting to be discovered!

 

i think it is infinite which is quite amazing

 

We all appreciate your very 'helpful' post. Thankyou so much for your contribution.

Shredder, you continue to dazzle me with your intelligence and theories..
But, I however disagree - The Universe is of course finite.

 

the universe is a tiny speck in the who intire life place thingy idk im no dork i sleep in class not pay attention

 

The human brain can't comprehend something been "infinate", in my mind there is just no way it can go on forever and NEVER end. Although it probably does.

My opinion, no-one will ever find out.

 

The universe is thiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiis big!!!!!

 

Our Universe is like planets, lots of universes (in circles) inside a bigger universe so like there are other neighbour universes like our neighbour planets and this cycle just continues.

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t216/Jayd0gg/universe.jpg

 

man i love reading books and everithign about the uiverse but i never saw some1 estimate the size its like wowwwwww bigggggggggggg
likke 1000s bilions time of the light its so bigg the stats are like milions of light away

 

It just makes me hard to beleive that its infinite...because there may be another earth!

 

Makes you think doesn't it? I always wondered the size of the universe, what would be at the end? To us the universe seems the end, just nothingness, space that goes on forever but whats at the end of nothing? Can it be possible for the universe to end?

 

i love when people ask these questions. i never really wondered this until i took astronomy this year and now my eye has opened. most humans cant comprehend the distances that we are talking about here.

1 light year = ~ 6 trillion miles

so if the visible universe is 100 billion light years x 6 trillion miles

you do the math, if you have a calculator that can.

its really interesting and i wonder about it all the time...

also, another cool thing is that when we look up in the sky, we see the past. if a star is 100 million LY away, then when it blows up, we wont see that for 100 million years. its weird shit.

 

You don't need a calculator for that

Anyway my personal idea (take it as purely personal) is that the Universe is infinite. There is also the possibility of multiple universes like ours.

 

Maybe our galaxy is just like, one atom in some larger universe/galaxy/whatever. I mean, think about it. If you use the ratio of the size of humans compared to the size of our galaxy, other atoms would seem about as far away as other galaxies. Maybe it just goes on like that, and there's little people on the keyboard you're typing on RIGHT NOW :O.

And maybe the pixels on your screen are really a universe full of exploding stars :O:O. Okay, I'm done.

 

Well there was this recent discovery of a place in space that nothing existed, it wasn't a black hole or anything else it was just a place of nothing. So I would like to say after a certain distance we have a lot of this place of "nothing"

 

Nobody Can Say
I mean we dont even no what nothing looks like
It might be white and we think it continues

 

Space is mostly empty. Between the planets and starts and stuff is just an area with nothing in it. So if there is supposed to be a place with nothing in it how is that different from most of what we call space?