The simulated large-scale structure of the Universe shows intricate patterns of clustering that never repeat. But from our perspective, we can only see a finite volume of the Universe. What lies beyond this edge? Image credit: V. Springel et al., MPA Garching, and the Millenium Simulation.

Ask Ethan: What does the edge of the Universe look like?

There’s a point beyond which we cannot go, there are things beyond that we cannot know. But here’s what we expect.

“The Edge… there is no honest way to explain it because the only people who really know where it is are the ones who have gone over.”
-Hunter S. Thompson

13.8 billion years ago, the Universe as we know it began with the hot Big Bang. Over that time, space itself has expanded, the matter has undergone gravitational attraction, and the result is the Universe we see today. But as vast as it all is, there’s a limit to what we can see. Beyond a certain distance, the galaxies disappear, the stars twinkle out, and no signals from the distant Universe can be seen. What lies beyond that? That’s this week’s question from Dan Newman, who asks:

If the universe is finite in volume, then is there a boundary? Is it approachable? And what might the view in that direction be?

Let’s start by starting at our present location, and looking out as far into the distance as we can.

Nearby, the stars and galaxies we see look very much like our own. But as we look farther away, we see the Universe as it was in the distant past: less structured, hotter, younger, and less evolved. Image credit: NASA, ESA, and A. Feild (STScI).