Where are we now, after the big bang?

This is my first post to ATS, l will apologize for any mistakes or repetition in advance and gladly accept any advise. If these questions have been answered before please direct me to the answers. l have a question or two about the big bang theory that l have never found answers to. Every explosion has an epi center, where are we (planet earth) in relation to that big bang? Where is the center of the universe? Does time stand still at this location? Could the center be the source of a black hole_javascript:icon('')
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You could elaborate on this in an assertive manner, - at least you'll get rash contradictors...

Good first thread anyway.

Good questions! As for where we are: nobody knows. It's impossible to tell where we are relative to the point of origin as we cannot observe even a mere fraction of the universe.

May I add something? Scientists tell us the big bang happened 14 billion years ago (estimates vary, but the actual number is not that important for what I'm thinking). Based on this, they tell us the universe is 28 billion light years wide (light travels at the speed of... light :lol, but that's only size relative to light. Matter does not travel anywhere near those speeds, so the physical part (non-light part) of the universe can't be 28 billion light years wide. How far can matter have travelled in that time? How large is the physical universe???

The universe itself is expanding. While matter and energy are moving around, the actual "empty space" is getting bigger. Every point is moving away from every other point.

Now take the Earth. If you travel far enough in one direction, you'll end up back where you started. Because of this, the Earth's surface has nothing you could call a "center" or an "edge."

Scientists believe the universe has a shape and, like the Earth, if you could travel faster than the expansion of the unvierse in one direction, you'd end up back where you started. Like Pac-Man. So the universe has no center and no edge.

[edit on 2-29-2008 by Esoterica]

Originally posted by Esoterica

Scientists believe the universe has a shape and, like the Earth, if you could travel faster than the expansion of the unvierse in one direction, you'd end up back where you started. Like Pac-Man. So the universe has no center and no edge.

[edit on 2-29-2008 by Esoterica]

Just like mind...

Hi All--

First post on ATS...

Pertaining to the topic at hand; the Big Bang location cannot be given to a specific "center" of the universe. Because of the theoretical nature of the Big Bang, it actually has a "center" everywhere. Since everything that ever was, or ever will be, was produced by this event it will never be possible to measure an epicenter. Not being a physicist, I cannot give mathematical evidence of this but I believe that this is an accurate statement. I suppose the way you would be able to measure an actual "epicenter" of the Big Bang would be to find a place in the universe where expansion could be measured as equal from all points outgoing. Then again, you also have to assume that the universe is expanding equally in all directions which I believe is still up for debate.