if the universe is expanding, what is it expanding into?
550266
It is expanding to the point of dark matter.  Then it will contract back into itself.  Then it was start all over again.  This is from the my interruption of the Kaballah.
737662
If you just want a short answer, I'll say this: if the universe is infinitely big, then the answer is simply that it isn't expanding into anything; instead, what is happening is that every region of the universe, every distance between every pair of galaxies, is being "stretched", but the overall size of the universe was infinitely big to begin with and continues to remain infinitely big as time goes on, so the universe's size doesn't change, and therefore it doesn't expand into anything. If, on the other hand, the universe has a finite size, then it may be legitimate to claim that there is something "outside of the universe" that the universe is expanding into. However, because we are, by definition, stuck within the space that makes up our universe and have no way to observe anything outside of it, this ceases to be a question that can be answered scientifically. So the answer in that case is that we really don't know what, if anything, the universe is expanding into.\n\nNow, for those of you who want a more comprehensive discussion:\n\nLet me begin by saying that "expanding" isn't really the best word to describe what is happening to the universe, although that is the word that is often used - a word choice which I think leads to a lot of unnecessary confusion regarding what is already a difficult topic! A more accurate word for what the universe is doing might be "stretching".\n\nThe difference between "expanding" and "stretching", for me at least, is that an "expanding universe" conjures up an image where there is a bunch of galaxies floating through space, all of which started at some center point and are now moving away from that point at very fast speeds. Therefore, the collection of galaxies (which we call the "universe") is expanding, and it is certainly fair to ask what it is expanding into.\n\nThe current theories of the universe, however, tell us that this is not the picture we should have in mind at all. Instead, the galaxies are in some sense stationary - they do not move through space the way that a ball moves through the air. The galaxies simply sit there. However, as time goes on, the space between the galaxies "stretches", sort of like what happens when you take a sheet of rubber and pull at it on both ends. Although the galaxies haven't moved through space at all, they get farther away from each other as time goes on because the space in between them has been stretched.\n\nOf course, when we think of space in everyday life, we don't think of it as something which is capable of stretching. Space, to us, just seems like something which is there, and which everything else in the universe exists within. But according to Einstein's theory of general relativity, space isn't really as simple as our common sense tells us. If we want to understand the actual way that the universe functions, we need to find some way to incorporate Einstein's ideas into our mental picture and imagine space as a more complicated entity which is capable of doing things like "bending" and "stretching".\n\nTo help us imagine this, a lot of people have come up with analogies for the universe in which space is represented by something more tangible. For example, there is the analogy with a sheet of rubber (or sometimes a balloon) that I mentioned above. My favorite analogy, though, involves imagining the universe as a gigantic blob of dough. Embedded in the dough are a bunch of raisins, spread throughout. The dough represents space, and the raisins represent the galaxies. (To the best of my knowledge, this analogy was originally proposed by Martin Gardner in his 1962 book Relativity for the Million.) We have no idea how big the dough is at this point - all we know is that it is very big, and we, sitting on some raisin somewhere inside it, are so far away from the "edge" that
5491
What you really mean to ask is, if the Universe is expanding, a phenomenon that by every conceivable standard of measurement and observation is universally (pun definitely intended) accepted by the scientific community to indeed be fact....\n\n...then what is the Universe exanding into????\n\nThe spooky thing is that no one knows. Science, with \nthe help of the Hubble Telescope has been able to see\nonly about 13 Billion light years out but the Universe itself is estimated to be about 14-15 Billion years old.\n\nThe universe is expanding into the vast emptiness of \nspace. Some scientists have speculated that there may be other universes that extend far beyond our own \nbut its mere speculation. NASA hopes that the next generation of Space Telescope technology scheduled to be launched in 2011, will have the capcity to observe  the very edge of the universe about 15 Billion years away and the very first light created in the aftermath of the Big Bang.
410246
Well, this is uncertain. I will explain it as it is currently understood. There are three possibilities based on relativity and the Standard Model. There are three types of expansion depending on the mass-energy density of the universe - open, flat and closed.\n\nIn an open universe, expansion will continue and will actually increase with time. This is because there is not enough mass and energy in the universe to pull it back in.\n\nIn a flat universe, the universe will continue to expand, but expansion will begin to slow at a certain point and as time approaches infinity the expansion will stop. Of course, since infinity means forever, the expansion will continue but slow down constantly, little by little.\n\nIn a closed universe, there is enough mass and energy to cause a collapse of the universe, known as the "big crunch."\n\nAnyway, current theory holds that we live in a flat universe and that inflation will continue forever, as mentioned.\n\nOh. It expands into nothing - as in before the universe is there, there is nothing there.
710329
I hate to be the philosopher but that is why the question still reamins. No one can accuratly tell what lies beyond the boundries of the universe. Is there another? Is it just white noise? I believe that space is infinite and our "universe" could well be a part of a cluster of "multiverses". i was once told that the universe is expanding in the same way that a balloon is blown up. So what lies beyond our universe? I say space, space, and more space! \n\nIf our universe began with the "big bang" then that would mean that at some point the universe had collapsed upon itself, leaving empty space.
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.
514889
Outer space extends to the end of the universe. Further, the universe is constantly expanding. No-one knows if anything is beyond the end of the universe.
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
251586
No. It is space itself that is expanding. The problem people have in thinking about this stuff is that it is tricky to think about curved space-time. But that is the level at which things must be thought to really understand what is going on.\n\nSo an analogy might be in order. Imagine you are at the north pole (the Big Bang). Time will be represented by the latitude down from the north pole and space will be represented by latitude lines. In this (very simplified!) model, space is one dimensional (a circle of latitude) and as time goes on (as we move down in latitude), space expands until we reach the equator and then contracts again until there is a Big Crunch at the south pole.\n\nSo now ask the question 'where is space expanding into?'. The answer is either meaningless or at best, answered by saying 'into the future'.\n\nThis analogy is actually very good except for a couple of points: The actual universe may not have a maximum spacial size (the equator) but may continue to expand forever; also, the size of space (the latitude lines) may actually be infinite in extent. The model has a finite universe with both a beginning and an end. The real universe may be infinite and have no Big Crunch.\n\nOne very good aspect of the model is that it clarifies a problem a lot of people have. There is no 'before the Big Bang' just as there is no 'north of the north pole'.
508366
It's expanding but it's also self-contained--much like the surface of a baloon as it expands. To creatures on the surface of a balloon it would be meaningless to ask what the balloon is "expanding into" because the surface of a balloon is contiguos in 3 (2 space 1 time) dimensions much like the universe in contiguous in 4 dimensions (3 space 1 time)
55707
You get into Quantum Theory with your intrigue and there is no evidence to support that the universe is not infinate.\n\nHOWEVER, according to the Big Bang theory there was nothing and then there was something in a centralized location millions (billions) of years ago. At the speed that the universe is spreading outwards there has to be an end to it and scientists are trying to get telescopes powerful enough to see to the beginning of time.\n\nWhat lays on the other side? Nobody knows.
36543
As I understand it, the universe is in fact finite.  However, it's expansion is continuous and progresses at such a rate that we can not, with current technology, move beyond to see the end.
127551
Because the universe is a vacuum and there's nothing to stop it from expanding. This is assuming that the big bang theory is correct and it's expanding because of the explosion .
410136
As a corollary to Chris' answer; It has recently been concluded that in fact the universe will go on expanding forever, there will be no reverse followed by a "big crunch" because there is not enough mass to precipitate this.\n\nAs for what the universe is "expanding into", this is a question based on the belief that all things must be finite, which is probably a limitation of our minds. There doesn't have to be a "there" there. If it makes you feel better you can imagine an infinite "ether" into which we are expanding.  \n\nAs a self-proffesed "curious" person you should probably read some Richard Feynman.
954418
It doesn't, the universe is expanding so fast there's no end to it.
664661
Quite an interesting question.  Well, it's true that the Universe is expanding, has been expanding since the Big Bang, and always will expand.  Plus, it's been doing so at the speed of light, so unless there's some way for us to travel faster than that, we're already too late to actually go (or send something) and find out what it's expanding into.  Point B can never reach the end.  Having said that, we're fairly sure that 'nothing' is beyond space.  Space is expanding into nothingness.  Of course, this is a hard concept since most of space has nothing in it anyway.  Yet even  when space is empty, it's still considered 'something.'  This empty 'something' expands into the nothingness.  Confusing, I know, but I can't think of a better way to explain.  Anyway, I don't believe there's a container that would stop the Universe from expanding.  I suppose it could be theoretically possible, but I'm not sure how.  I believe it will keep on expanding forever.
958089
I don't know what cosologists are hypothesizing about.  Cosmologists on the other hand, are hypothesizing that the universe is expanding.