The Center Of The Universe: (where the Big Bang occurred) and where is its edge?
The Universe Has No Center and No Boundary: Here’s Why
It may seem counterintuitive, but the universe has no center and no boundary. The common image of the Big Bang as a colossal explosion propelling matter and energy outward is pervasive but misleading. Surprisingly, it wasn’t “stuff” that exploded outward; it was space itself. Essentially, the Big Bang happened everywhere at once.
Since Einstein’s time, we have understood that space is not merely a backdrop in which we move; it is an entity that can be measured. Space has shape, it can be bent, and, most intriguingly, it can expand. This understanding transforms our perception of the universe.
To visualize this, imagine the universe as the surface of a balloon. As the balloon inflates, every point on the surface moves away from every other point. There is no central point on the balloon’s surface from which everything expands; instead, the expansion happens uniformly everywhere. This analogy helps illustrate why the universe has no center—every point in space is part of the expansion.
Moreover, space itself is dynamic. It can stretch and grow, and this expansion of space is what we observe as the universe growing larger. This idea explains why the universe doesn’t need boundaries. Just as the surface of the balloon has no edge, the universe doesn’t have a boundary in the traditional sense. It’s an ever-expanding entity where each point is part of the whole.
Understanding these concepts challenges our intuitive notions of space and boundaries, but they are crucial to comprehending the true nature of the universe. The Big Bang wasn’t an explosion in space; it was an explosion of space. And in this expanding space, every point is moving away from every other point, with no center and no edge, illustrating the fascinating and complex nature of our cosmos.
To grasp this concept, imagine the surface of a balloon expanding into three-dimensional space. A two-dimensional being confined to the surface of the balloon would never find the center because the center exists in a three-dimensional space, not within their two-dimensional realm.
Similarly, we, as three-dimensional beings, are part of a universe that operates in at least four dimensions. Therefore, we cannot perceive the center of our universe. In fact, there may not be a center at all.
This same logic applies to the “edge” of the universe. Where is the edge of a balloon? To define an edge or a center, one must assume there is a space into which the universe is expanding. However, as mentioned earlier, this assumption may not be necessary. Even if it were, detecting this “metaverse” would be beyond our capabilities.
When contemplating the cosmos, it is helpful to recall the words of British biologist J.B.S. Haldane: “The universe is not only queerer than we suppose, it is queerer than we can suppose.”
Phil Plait
ACC, Inc.
(March 1999 issue)