I think the earth is actually the center of the universe.
That's a common misconception... A few years ago, about the time printing presses were invented, some person made an error in the translation to the machine. Our understaning has come a long way since then and we now know the Sun is actually the center of the universe... here is a link
What happens IF humans ever develop the ability to move faster than light? I know it is "impossible" but what if? Say the Star Trek scenario.
Then we "fly" to the edge of the UNIVERSE. What happens if we cross that barrier? Where would we go? What would be there?
That's easy... Heaven... or Hell depending on which direction you go. We all get there when we die, our spirits actually travel faster then the speed of light. Its the bright light people who die and come back report.. you know... when They get sent back to finish thier missions..
________ ROLL BLUNTS
Last edited by metal_geek; 05-05-2011 at 11:46 PM.
What happens IF humans ever develop the ability to move faster than light? I know it is "impossible" but what if? Say the Star Trek scenario.
Then we "fly" to the edge of the UNIVERSE. What happens if we cross that barrier? Where would we go? What would be there?
Even in a Star Trek scenario where one is able to warp the space around it to travel exponentially faster than the speed of light... it would still take centuries or eons to get to that edge...and by then, the edge would be further away. Even then, there would be two theories.
One: Crossing the barrier would be impossible. There's nothing beyond it and the ship would likely be destroyed trying.
Two: The barrier would give way to another universe.
that's a paradox though no? how can there be an end? I understand it's an age old discussion but really I think the universe somehow goes on forever, in one way or another.
What happens IF humans ever develop the ability to move faster than light? I know it is "impossible" but what if? Say the Star Trek scenario.
Then we "fly" to the edge of the UNIVERSE. What happens if we cross that barrier? Where would we go? What would be there?
There is no edge, no barrier.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Thunderball
Even in a Star Trek scenario where one is able to warp the space around it to travel exponentially faster than the speed of light... it would still take centuries or eons to get to that edge...and by then, the edge would be further away. Even then, there would be two theories.
One: Crossing the barrier would be impossible. There's nothing beyond it and the ship would likely be destroyed trying.
Two: The barrier would give way to another universe.
It would not take centuries if you travelled at the speed of light. It would be instantaneous.
Again, there is no barrier, so your two "theories" can be dismissed out of hand.
Quote:
Originally Posted by metal_geek
I'd be willing to bet something in the universe knows whats at the "edge"...
There is no edge.
Quote:
Originally Posted by worth
The universe is not necessarily sphere or elliptical shaped.
The universe is NOT a sphere, nor an ellipsoid. That proposition is akin to saying the Earth is a square or a circle. It is pretty nonsensical.
__________________
"For thousands of years humans were oppressed - as some of us still are - by the notion that the universe is a marionette whose strings are pulled by a god or gods, unseen and inscrutable." - Carl Sagan Freedom consonant with responsibility.
Well, the universe is shaped exactly like the earth if you go straight long enough you'll end up where you were. And the universe is shaped exactly like the earth if you go straight long enough you'll end up where you were. The universe is shaped exactly like the earth.
Well, the universe is shaped exactly like the earth if you go straight long enough you'll end up where you were. And the universe is shaped exactly like the earth if you go straight long enough you'll end up where you were. The universe is shaped exactly like the earth.
- ModestMouse, 3rd Planet
Trout, do you know the lyrics to every song or what??
So what you are saying Evman, is that there may or may not be an edge?
Thanks for the insights, although it is really weird stuff to wrap your head around. One wonders how any of this can be stated with any authority. For instance, this expanding balloon analogy, what was smoked to induce that line of thought? What do you observe that can reinforce these theories? (Not that I would understand the answer.)
So what is the hottest question in astronomy circles these days?
What gives evman? I thought you were a really smart guy. But here you are unable to get everyone to understand the simple concept of a fourth dimension. Geez.
But really I've read probably half a dozen or so different explanations of the fourth dimension and I can't really understand it let alone visualize it. I'll admit it's over my head.
Anyways, if anyone is interested in a astronomy / debunking blog check out bad astronomy. He also has a good book by the same name.
No one can visualize higher dimensions. It's physically impossible. We can see higher dimensional objects as a representation in the 3rd dimension, but we can't see a higher dimension object in its actual higher dimensional state unless we are in that dimension.
Michio Kaku's book Hyperspace does a good job of explaining this using the "Flatlander" 2-d example and what would happen to them if we as a 3-d people interacted with them.
Yeah the flatlander thing is a common example. I remember reading about it in a couple of Sagan's books as well as Brian Greene's "The Elegant Universe". Greene's book is pretty ridiculous though, especially the second half. I feel I have a pretty good understanding of physics, but that book was just too much, especially for what was purportedly a "popular" book.
To give a brief explanation of the flatlander example for others in the thread, it works like this. Imagine you lived on a flat, 2d world where up and down didn't exist. Now say aliens from a third dimension came upon your world and threw a basketball down onto your 2d world. It landed right in front of you, what would you see? Well what you would see would be 2d "slices" of the 3d object. You would see the basketball first as a point, then as a small circle, then bigger circles, then achieving a maximum size of circle, then going back down to a point again then disappearing.
Pretty bizarre, it kind of gives you an idea of how weird the universe is when you realize this is how it is in our world, only scaled up one dimension. If 4d aliens came and threw a 4d object in front of me, all I would see would be consecutive 3d "slices" of the 4d object. It would be bizarre indeed. Of course this is just a thought experiment (there are no 4d aliens), but it gives one just a little better grasp of the whole 4d thing.
__________________
"For thousands of years humans were oppressed - as some of us still are - by the notion that the universe is a marionette whose strings are pulled by a god or gods, unseen and inscrutable." - Carl Sagan Freedom consonant with responsibility.
Thanks for the insights, although it is really weird stuff to wrap your head around. One wonders how any of this can be stated with any authority. For instance, this expanding balloon analogy, what was smoked to induce that line of thought? What do you observe that can reinforce these theories? (Not that I would understand the answer.)
So what is the hottest question in astronomy circles these days?
Can this stuff be stated with authority? Notwithstanding philosophical epistemological nonsense (Descartes etc), we know it pretty well. Our knowledge is not bullet-proof. We may wake up tomorrow and a discovery will be made that could shatter everything we know. But the scientific method is pretty reliable. Observations are made, models are predicted to fit observations, then they are tested against other observations, and the model is improved, proven or dropped. It is all we have and all we can do.
What do we observe? The microwave background radiation is one a lot of people have heard of. Cosmological redshifts (Hubble's Law) are another.
And what is the biggest question facing astronomers these days? I really don't know. Nothing really sticks out. I suppose it would have to be something cosmological. Maybe refining the Hubble parameter so we can finally get a handle on the exact structure of our universe and its destiny? That's not really a question, but more of a case of refining what we know.
Of course, a unifying theory is still being searched for, but that is more physics related than astronomy.
And what they were smoking? I don't know, but I do know Carl Sagan was a HUGE pot smoker.
__________________
"For thousands of years humans were oppressed - as some of us still are - by the notion that the universe is a marionette whose strings are pulled by a god or gods, unseen and inscrutable." - Carl Sagan Freedom consonant with responsibility.
