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[meushiman]

Well, I was simply wondering what the edge of the universe would look like.  The universe is finite, but expanding.  Therefore, there has to be an end to the universe which is just constantly moving.  Yet, let's say that the expansion froze and you happened to be right before the end of the universe looking towards the end.  What would you see?

[issacweirdo]

Right before I insert my ideas, something pretty raw happened; just when I was about to post that technically what you were asking is a debate, Notagh posted and said

don't post

!!!
I don't know, I thought that was pretty chill since I was about to post in it. Back to topic...

I don't think we would see anything. Better yet, that we literally can't see anything; photons haven't expanded beyond to the edge of the universe yet. We couldn't really even reach the edge of the universe, since we are parts of the universe itself. I don't think reality would exist outside of the universe, so the question kind of hangs in the air. More like a vacuum where nothing exists inside and no forces are existent in that little space. Obviously we would die since our internal pressure would have no resistance, so we would kind of implode. Oh, and we will slowly freeze to death.

[Doctor Psi]

Right before I insert my ideas, something pretty raw happened; just when I was about to post that technically what you were asking is a debate, Notagh posted and said

don't post

Oh, and we will slowly freeze to death.

I think we would quickly freeze to death.

I am not sure we could ever reach the end of the universe because it is expanding, but I think at some point, there would have to be nothing at all, and here is why: the big bang was the expansion of all the matter that will ever be in the universe. As it expands, it brings that matter farther apart from the other matter. At some point, the matter will not have expanded far enough, so there would be nothing, and at the very edges of the universe are probably just loads of gas, ready to be expanded. I would imagine that the fabric of space and time would not exist at the point where space has not yet expanded. Because of this you could never go there, and time probably would just stop until the universe caught up. (This is not the scientific explanation, just what I have thought of in response to the question.)

I don't mean to be rude by asking a question that occurred to me in another persons thread, but I thought of something while writing this.

I heard that we cannot see the end of the universe with a telescope because the light hasn't reached us yet. But I question that because the universe was all together at one point, and so as it expanded so would the light, and light from the beginning of the universe would always be at the edge. Anyone heard of any answers to this?

EDIT:

It occurred to me after I posted, that the light from the beginning of the universe would pass the rest at some point, and then would have to reflect back from the edge of the universe for us to see it. Makes sense, but I am still a bit unsure.

[issacweirdo]

Can't answer right now, but here's a link about your question:
http://curious.astro.cornell.edu/question.php?number=575
EDIT
Sorry, had to do some stuff. Anyways, I haven't read too deep into it, but it's stating some parts of the universe did and are moving faster than the speed of light. I don't get it though.

[Doctor Psi]

Special relativity says that even though particles cannot ACCELERATE to the speed of light, particles that ALREADY are moving faster than light can, as the universe may have. So it is possible the universe is just expanding faster than light, yes. But that is far less interesting.

[issacweirdo]

Special relativity says that even though particles cannot ACCELERATE to the speed of light, particles that ALREADY are moving faster than light can, as the universe may have. So it is possible the universe is just expanding faster than light, yes. But that is far less interesting.

For the sake of this debate, I believe it is possible, according to Dr. P, that one can view how it is to be beyond the edge of the universe while still being in the universe itself. Since the universe is traveling faster than the speed of light then just warp to the edge and take an extremely quick look. There should be lag before photons from the inside of the universe hit you, so it should be possible to see how it is to be outside of the universe, which I believe will be nothing. You'll just be seeing black, but not the color but from the absence of light. In other words, absolutely nothing. This has to be extremely quick though, since you have to travel faster than the time it takes for, let's say electrons, can release photons.

[Doctor Psi]

Now that brings up another visualization that hit me with that statement. If you hit the edge facing the universe in front of you and saw it from outside, It would literally be a big sphere all around, like looking into a glass dome. Except this one is full of hot gas and time is almost halted from your frame of reference.

[issacweirdo]

Now that brings up another visualization that hit me with that statement. If you hit the edge facing the universe in front of you and saw it from outside, It would literally be a big sphere all around, like looking into a glass dome. Except this one is full of hot gas and time is almost halted from your frame of reference.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shape_of_the_Universe
Bam!

[Doctor Psi]

Okay I skimmed through that, and I am a bit confused. Did that say the universe is flat!?

[issacweirdo]

Okay I skimmed through that, and I am a bit confused. Did that say the universe is flat!?

That's what I thought too...Which confused me even more.

[Doctor Psi]

Well the expansion of the universe is moving equally in every direction. It is therefore a sphere.

[issacweirdo]

Well the expansion of the universe is moving equally in every direction. It is therefore a sphere.

http://curious.astro.cornell.edu/question.php?number=62

[Doctor Psi]

What I am seeing there is that what we can observe is a flat universe because the curvature is undetectable because of the size of the universe. Like us thinking the Earth is flat because the observable Earth is flat. (We cannot see the curvature of the Earth.) So I stick by my sphere theory.

[stolide]

"(We cannot see the curvature of the Earth.)"

Have you ever been boating in the ocean?

[Notagh]

What I am seeing there is that what we can observe is a flat universe because the curvature is undetectable because of the size of the universe. Like us thinking the Earth is flat because the observable Earth is flat. (We cannot see the curvature of the Earth.) So I stick by my sphere theory.

It would have to be a ridiculously large sphere considering what we've "seen" of the universe.  Considering geometry, it's possible that the universe being a round and smooth sphere is already rendered improbable/impossible considering what we have detected of it.

EDIT:  To add on to stolide's comment, this is how the Greeks knew the earth was round long before Columbus.  Quite a few things believed about Columbus and his ventures are exaggerated/mythical.*
*Of course, if this person had, for example, checked wikipedia they would be disabused of such notions son perhaps this myth no longer lingers in prominence.

[Doctor Psi]

"(We cannot see the curvature of the Earth.)"

Have you ever been boating in the ocean?

No.

It doesn't make sense why it should be flat. First of all we have a view of stars and galaxies 360 degrees around Earth. The big bang was pretty much an explosion. When a little ball of stuff expands outwards it makes a sphere. Rawr!

[The Adfeng]

If one were to travel to the edge of the universe and kept going, you would be turned back around without knowing.  Since theoretically outside of the universe there is nothingness you would just turn back around!

[MNBrant]

If one were to travel to the edge of the universe and kept going, you would be turned back around without knowing.  Since theoretically outside of the universe there is nothingness you would just turn back around!

My theory is outside of this sphere there are other spheres. Many. Those spheres do not contain stars etc., and work under different laws of physics etc. etc.

[Notagh]

"(We cannot see the curvature of the Earth.)"

Have you ever been boating in the ocean?

No.

It doesn't make sense why it should be flat. First of all we have a view of stars and galaxies 360 degrees around Earth. The big bang was pretty much an explosion. When a little ball of stuff expands outwards it makes a sphere. Rawr!

There's no real reason for it to be a sphere, not the least being that it is obviously not a sphere in the common sense of the term.  The matter bunch is not one solid object.  You would be drawing a circle around the matter and calling it a sphere when it is not.

[The Adfeng]

If one were to travel to the edge of the universe and kept going, you would be turned back around without knowing.  Since theoretically outside of the universe there is nothingness you would just turn back around!

My theory is outside of this sphere there are other spheres. Many. Those spheres do not contain stars etc., and work under different laws of physics etc. etc.

You can't exist out of our known universe.  If you move towards th edge of the universe you would just turn back around because there is nothing there to hold you.  Then again, reaching the edge of the universe would be nearly impossible without a warp drive.  Built easily but power is a major problem.

As far as we know this is the only universe in existence.