Is there an end/border to this universe?
91401
There isn't one.\n\nThis is similar to the question, "OK, the universe is expanding, what is it expanding into?"\n\nBoth questions are based on analogies which are designed to help us think about complex situations. They tend to be ones where we think of the universe as being something like the surface of an inflating beach ball which is being blown up. Our image of the "beach ball universe" includes space to expand into.\n\nThis is a limitation of the analogy, not the actual universe. The details of General Relativity describe the "shape" of the universe and how gravity effects different parts. GR works on the scale of galaxies and galaxy clusters. For smaller scales, dropping a pencil off your desk for instance, Newton's Gravity is fine. (GR turns into Newton's Law of Gravity at small scales.)\n\nOur brains are simply not designed to imagine curved space with all three spatial dimensions. To get around this the analogies use two-dimensional universes. But the analogies can't be taken too far. In this case, the only way to really understand deeply the structure of the universe is by understanding the mathematics. There is no exact mental picture.\n\nSo, the question has no answer, and in fact, logically speaking, makes no sense. (That isn't to say it is not a sensible question, it is a sensible question.)\n\nThe usual example of such a question is: "What is north of the north pole." Once one gets to the pole there is no more North. Everything is south. So asking what is north of the north pole is (logically) a nonsensical question.
1140209
the spacetime is finite yet has no edge and no center.  it may be something like the two dimensional surface of a sphere.  anything inside or outside the sphere exists for the surface.  nothing exists outside spacetime in this model.  the universe did not begin in empty spacetime.  spacetime began with the universe.\n\nhttp://map.gsfc.nasa.gov/m_uni.html\nhttp://universeadventure.org/\nhttp://www.sciam.com/print_version.cfm?articleID=0009F0CA-C523-1213-852383414B7F0147
215635
The thing is ... a parrallel universe may exist. We cannot prove it one way or another ......YET! :) How do we know that another universe and our universe and many other universes .... do not exist in a metaverse? And if so .... maybe something like distance etc. exists in that metaverse ... which imparts some of it's qualities to our own universe and indeed to any other universe within that metaverse. Hence ..... we may not even have a void outside our universe at all.
210647
What lies beyond the edge of the universe is matter that is receding at a speed greater than that of light relative to us. Check out the Begy atomic model, It proposes that the big bang has no beggining and no end and is an ongoing process. Belief in God is possible, comprehension of God is not.
558467
Is our universe in another universe?  \n\nBefore we can address that question, we must first define universe.  \n\nThe word universe denotes all space and everything (matter, energy) contained within it.  The prefix uni means one.  The root verse means word, carnate message, meaningful substance, matter.  Questions regarding our universe persist today.  Does it have a beginning and end, or does it go on forever and ever?  Is it linear or curved?  If it has limits of length or curvature, then what lies beyond the Universe?  If something lies beyond the Universe, then can’t we accurately call that the Universe?\n\nSome lay people and some scientists conceive of the universe as infinite space.  Others define the universe as finite, or limited (perhaps curved), space.  Still others incorporate the elements of matter and/or energy into their definition of the universe, as opposed to the space beyond matter and energy.\n\nGiven these concepts of our universe, some scientists conclude that the “totality of space could be infinite. Shrink an infinite space by an arbitrary amount, and it is still infinite. (Scientific American March 2005).”  \n\nAs to the notion that we live in an ever expanding universe, moving away from every other universe on the fabric of space-time, some scientists are careful to point out that “\nAndromeda, our nearest large galactic neighbor, is actually moving toward us, not away. Such exceptions arise because Hubble's law describes only the average behavior of galaxies (Scientific American March 2005).”\n\nIn accordance with your supposition that our universe is in another universe, “it has been hypothesized by some scientists that the universe may be part of a system of many other universes, known as the multiverse (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Universe).” Modern astrophysicists talk about multiple "pocket" universes that branch off from one another.  Stephen Hawking points out that parallel pocket universes can have no effect on a real observer inside a single pocket, so, according to Hawking, they are theoretical baggage that should be eliminated from cosmology, the study of the origins of the universe.\n\nSome string theories define the universe as a three-dimensional space in an invisible space having more dimensions. This is, in essence, a universe within a universe.  Our zone, a “braneworld” could periodically bounce into another parallel braneworld.  This may create what would appear as a Big Bang from one perspective or a Big Bounce of alternating expanding and contracting universe from another perspective.  Such a cataclysmic event is thought to occur 300 billion years from now, resulting in the rearranging and creation of a new universe.\n\nIs our universe inside another universe?  Well, apparently the Men in Black had it right.  Our universe seems to be inside of something else, another universe, called the multiverse.\n\nSteve\n:-D
1098923
There is an end to this universe.  But, it is constantly expanding and contracting.  Empty space is what lies outside of it.  The universe is encroaching into empty space.
231891
I believe the Universe did start with a bang and slowly expands until one day it begans to retract in upon itself until it eventually ends. The beauty is that at that point, it will start all over. It is the ebb and flow of life, the yin and yang or the life and death cycle. Ultimately there is no real end, just life. \nAs far as what lies at the end ... I would say you decide that. It could be reuniting with loved ones, reuniting with God/Universe, or even reincarting again. There are no limits - not time, not physicality, not anything.
90873
Nope, not what my theory says. My theory is as follows:\n\n"...the Universe as many see it, is expanding. Anything expanding must have boundaries. THus, boundaries can be anything holding something, in the Universe, the boundary is space, which is matter. Thus, anything inside something (or something finite) must be rotating."\n\nThe Universe my friend is not infinite, but finite with endless boundaries. It's like a ballon. As you blow air in the ballon, it expands, but there is no boundaries (pretend there is no plastic boundarys). But there is boundaries, because as you blow in the ballon, it is also expanding the boundary, (the air on the outside). The outside air is the boundary.\n\nThe Universe is much mroe complicated, unfortuanetly, but still with the same concept. It is also expanding, and as it expands, it also pushs it's boundary outward (the space outside of it). Space is matter! ANd therefore, the space, or the matter, is the boundary.
397592
The universe has no discernible edge, but neither is it infinitely large.\n\nThis is because the universe has non-euclidian geometry.\nEssentially this means that parallel lines will meet at infinity. Crazy huh?\nIf you keep going in a straight line long enough you will eventually come back to your starting point.\nThink of it as if the universe is a balloon. If you walk in a straight line along the balloon's surface, you will travel all the way around the balloon and come back to your starting point. Then just imagine that the balloon is expanding.\nThe balloon (our universe) gets bigger. But with the universe, it is not expanding INTO anything.\n\nAre you an advanced physics student?\nIf so, read about Einstein's Theory of General Relativity (With loads of lovely maths :) ) to gain more insight.
264754
Think of the universe as a giant bubble. Outside the bubble is nothing. nothing exists. no space. no time. Even though there is an edge to the universe, you cant reach it. If you started at the earth and went in a straight line. you would eventually come back to the earth. Also, we are not the only universe. there are other bubles. too. they are in the same nothing as ours. But you could not travel to other universes.
1151663
Universe in not infinite. It is finite and constantly expanding. Yes there are more galaxies than no. of grains of sands in all beaches of the world. This universe is unimaginably huge!
275416
The universe is said to be expanding,at least in the sense\nthat all of the galaxies are supposed to be drifting farther\naway from each other.That would seem to contradict your notion of a tremendously big circle as there's no gravitational pull binding them together.\n Also,if space is finite...then what's outside the boundaries?
830256
The universe is still expanding and speeding up, faster and faster.  The outskirts of the universe can boggle the mind.  It has been thought that the mass of the universe would eventually stop the outward push and eventually draw it back to implode in on itself, then repeat.  Like a thirty billion year old flower.  Now it is believed that the universe will die a cold death with the universe continually speeding off in all directions.  Maybe we will run into another universe that is moving towards our own.  And no we will not fall off a cliff, the universe is expanding at a uniform rate in ALL directions.  There will be no drop-offs...
1086035
This question  has been asked before, hasnt it? Sounds familiar.\n\nSpace is never ending, you can leave the Milky Way and you will enter another galaxy, depending on where ure exit point is.
334137
the universe is finite yet has no boundaries. it may be something like the two dimensional surface of a sphere.  nothing inside or outside the sphere exists for the two dimensional surface.  nothing exists outside the universe in this model.
861518
Nobody can answer your second part, if they try its just theory. They know it, I wont try to explain it either. \nIts against all logical thinking to just say..."the universe isnt expanding into something..", it has to be though what nobody knows. A ballon is a very good way to describe this motion, but still can't explain what "it" pushes into.\nIf there is "nothing" beyond the universe, then are we inside of some containment? \nThe idea that there is an end has still not been taken out of the equation...(Jan 21, 2002 Steven Haking lecture on Alternate Times @ Cambridge), he states that since we see into the universe more and more with technology, we see motion and activity as a guage that can tell us timelines of occurrences of the past, and can calculate distances and measure the speed at which these activities take place. And so he goes on to say that if given these calculations are correct, we can measure the entire universes' movement and therefore determine with some confidence where the edge would be, or should be. But, he said, so far we cant find an edge, though if we did, in all probability the universe is pushing itself into another adjacent universe.\nIf it were to be found someday that our universe has an edge, and theres a chance to peer past it....he says, then at least "containment" theory is off the table.
415793
possibly its infinite\nbut its an argument you will find quite interesting to discuss with REAL people. im no astronomer but a thirteen year old student.i can tell you that there is the M-theory which states of parallel universes.the string theory says that there is a 12th dimension which is outside the boundary of this universe. Now we ask what is beyond that? its hard to answer. But we should never let our Heads be larger than our Hats!