Beyond the Edge...

Ok well I'm no scientist or astronomer or anything like that, though I am fascinated by the unknown (which is of course human nature), especially in space. Ever since I was a young kid, I have always been fascinated by space and whats out there and stars and planets and aliens and how it all began and how it's going to end...everything. Anyways, the point of this is, I want to know you guys' (and gals') opinions on something. For some reason the other day I decided to google information on the universe and like I don't know really how to explain it. I looked up like what our universe is contained in. I mean like are we in a multiverse where our universe is simply an electron in an even more vast universe which is an electron in an even vaster universe and so on infinity, but I mean, the way my mind works, I see the need for an end to it, as in a physical end. It has to be all within something doesn't it? Is it truly for possible for the vacuum to go on infinitely forever in every direction? Here's something to demonstrate what I mean, written better, from another forum (link at the bottom):

From Carl Sagan's Cosmos;

www.youtube.com...

If the cosmos is closed...there's a strange, haunting, evocative possibility...one of the most exquisite conjectures in science and religion. It's entirely undemonstrated...it may never be proved, but it's stirring. Our entire universe, to the farthest galaxy, we are told...is no more than a closed electron...in a far grander universe we can never see. That universe is only an elementry particle...in another still greater universe and so on forever. Also, every electron in our universe, it is claimed...is an entire miniature cosmos...containing galaxies and stars and life, and electrons. Everyone of those electrons contains a still smaller universe...an infinite regression up and down.

Another similar philosophical saying;

There is an idea--strange, haunting, evocative- one of the most exquisite conjectures in science or religion. It is entirely undemonstrated; it may never be proved. But it stirs the blood. There is, we are told, an infinite hierarchy of universes, so that an elementary particle, such as an electron, in our universe would, if penetrated, reveal itself to be an entire closed universe. Within it, organized into the local equivalent of galaxies and smaller structures, are an immense number of other, much tinier elementary particles, which are themselves universe at the next level, and so on forever- an infinite downward regression, universes within universes, endlessly. And upward as well. Our familiar universe of galaxies and stars, planets, and people, would be a single elementary particle in the next universe up, the first step of another infinite regress.

EXTERNAL LINK

A similar question is, what was there before the big bang? I mean what prompted that explosion to happen in the first place? I've heard of a heart beat type of theory where our universe expands out so far and then contracts again and it keeps going over and over and over, but again, something has to cause this and there had to be a beginning right? Also, if the universe is expanding, it has to be expanding into something, there has to be something there that the universe is expanding into. I know these questions are all like waaaay beyond what we, with our present technology can ever hope to answer completely, but I'm curious as to what theories there are, and I've looked. Here are a few links to sites I've found on this stuff:
How Big?
What's at the end of the Universe?
The Boundaries of the Universe (this one asks some good questions, though it proves the existence of God, which I do believe, though that is NOT the point of this thread, to prove or disprove the existence of God)

Think about it this way, at the end of Men in Black 1, where they zoom out of the Earth, out of the galaxy and all and show the aliens playing with marbles(galaxies), is it like that minus the aliens? This stuff is really really really interesting if you ask me and I think there is a TON of potential for concrete discussion on it.

So finally, what I would like to ask all of you is what is your opinion on all of this? Do you have any links to share that you find interesting or that offer more to the mixing pot of theories? Which theories do you feel are the most logical and all and which don't seem plausible at all? I just want to know what you all think about this because I find it fascinating, questioning these totally and almost completely unanswerable questions.

[edit on 1/7/2008 by PennKen2009]

[edit on 1/7/2008 by PennKen2009]

Hey I haven't been on in around two weeks with family over and all, sorry about that yall. Anyways, I'm still interested in your opinions on this matter if you'd like to give them.

I have given some thought to this as well.

Micronauts: Basically, a set of comics and toys I had as a kid that made me think about back then.
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Horton Hears a Who!: A book I didn't realize covered the same ideas as Micronauts until I was an adult.

You may think I am trying to be silly here, but there are very strong parallels to what you are discussing in these sources.

reply to post by PennKen2009


So, the idea of us being in the Mutliverse comes from String theory and M-theory. However at this time these are theoretical constructs and we do not know for sure if this is true.

As for what was here before the big-bang- nothing, since spacetime is zero at this point. As for what caused it, depends on whether you support M-theory or not. M-theory states the our Universe and others exist on Branes. When these Branes collide in the Multiverse they create a new Brane- a new Universe.

As for alien,s, I think the Universe is proabbaly filled with life, I don't belive it has visited here at this time.

ooh i never thought of Horton hears a Who! They're making a movie of it. That's exactly what I'm saying, we could all be on the tip of a little daisy in something more than this for all we know. I'll definately look into the Micronauts. It seems like Japanese anime has some of this kinda stuff too. I've actually never heard of the M-Theory, I'll definately look into that as well.