Post
by Empeda » Fri Sep 02, 2005 3:45 pm
The universe does likely go on for a lot further than we can see, but it's almost irrelevent to think like that since we have a 'cap' on the rate of information transfer throughtout the universe - the speed of light.
More accurately, the speed of information. Since it's space itself that is exanding (not galaxies expanding through space) the speed of the expansion is proportional to the distance.
What this means - is that at a certain point the rate of expansion is going to reach the speed of light. Anything 'further away' from that point will never be able to transmit any 'information' to us, so as far as we're concerned - it might as well not exist - on a philosophical level you could argue that in our universe, it actually doesn't exist.....
Not sure if that's very clear but hopefully you get the gist.....
I'm an Astrophysics Graduate from Keele University, England - doesn't mean I know anything but I might be able to help!