The GOODS - North Field of Galaxies Courtesy James Webb Space Telescope...

[WillBrink]

Given all the whackadoo stuff on the internet about space and the universe, I don't think there are any more jokes. Just waiting for Flat Universe theory.

Well actually...

[SteyrAUG]

Halton Arp may get his Nobel yet.... here's Dr Sabine Hofstadter on some of the problems with the Standard Model that have been further exacerbated by JWST observations.

Every high school student should see that video. She explained more "science works like this" stuff in 5 minutes than some people can explain in a semester.

[WillBrink]

Every high school student should see that video. She explained more "science works like this" stuff in 5 minutes than some people can explain in a semester.

That's why her channel is so popular and she's well known in science circles these days.

[FromMyColdDeadHand]

So what I was going after is the universe could be twice as big and twice as old as we currently believe and we'd never know it because that light simply hasn't reached us yet and / or it's too faint to be observed at that distance. I don't think we've ever seen the edge of the universe and I doubt we ever will.

I’ve kind of never understood the ‘age’ of the universe since it could be relative, right? To a photon heading out of the Big Bang at the speed of light (let’s forget about the hyper-expansion), not ‘time’ has gone by since it is traveling at the speed of light due to relativity.. The only real frame of reference for the true age of the universe would a particle that was in the ‘center’ of the Big Bang and hasn’t moved since… right?

In a total side-bar, and maybe Will you could/can use it one of your books, I have a Tarantino like movie scene in my head where our middle-class, middle-aged(ahem), white-bread main-character finds himself in bad part of town and gets the attention of the local thuggery. As they start to void dire the main-character as to why he is in their neighborhood, he asks them.

“Do you know what a neutrino is? Physicists believe that they are particles moving at the speed of light that don’t interact with anything else. They just pass on through the galaxy on their merry way, trillions of them may be passing through us right now- not interacting or interfering with anything- but we can’t tell. Astrophysicists created huge experiments to try to capture one, but there is downside. Some scientists think that if you entangle one, this is what set off the Big
BANG!”
As I pull my STI 45ACP from concealment.
“Now, motherfrickers. I am the said neutrino particle. On my way through your neighborhood. Not interacting or interfering in your world. But if you try to entangle me, well, I will F up your universe at the speed of lead.”

[WillBrink]

I’ve kind of never understood the ‘age’ of the universe since it could be relative, right? To a photon heading out of the Big Bang at the speed of light (let’s forget about the hyper-expansion), not ‘time’ has gone by since it is traveling at the speed of light due to relativity.. The only real frame of reference for the true age of the universe would a particle that was in the ‘center’ of the Big Bang and hasn’t moved since… right?

There's a wide range of lines of evidence as to the age, that there was a "beginning" and so forth. There's still plenty of Qs to be answered, and unknowns too, but:

In a total side-bar, and maybe Will you could/can use it one of your books, I have a Tarantino like movie scene in my head where our middle-class, middle-aged(ahem), white-bread main-character finds himself in bad part of town and gets the attention of the local thuggery. As they start to void dire the main-character as to why he is in their neighborhood, he asks them.

“Do you know what a neutrino is? Physicists believe that they are particles moving at the speed of light that don’t interact with anything else. They just pass on through the galaxy on their merry way, trillions of them may be passing through us right now- not interacting or interfering with anything- but we can’t tell. Astrophysicists created huge experiments to try to capture one, but there is downside. Some scientists think that if you entangle one, this is what set off the Big
BANG!”
As I pull my STI 45ACP from concealment.
“Now, motherfrickers. I am the said neutrino particle. On my way through your neighborhood. Not interacting or interfering in your world. But if you try to entangle me, well, I will F up your universe at the speed of lead.”

There's several of my scfi stories where such an interaction would make sense. I actually just finished my first foray into historical fiction. Takes place in a Nazi labor camp.

[SteyrAUG]

That's why her channel is so popular and she's well known in science circles these days.

I can see why. I just stumbled onto this one by accident looking for something else.



Everything is well supported, almost zero gobblygook (because absolutes probably can't exist) and most refreshing...no hysteria, no OMG super assumptions...just clean, clear explanations provided in a way intended to help other people UNDERSTAND what she is saying rather than prove her intellectual superiority to others.

[SteyrAUG]

I’ve kind of never understood the ‘age’ of the universe since it could be relative, right?

From our perspective, IF we had complete data, we could date the age of the universe.

[soulezoo]

What's on the other side of "the edge of the universe"?

[SteyrAUG]

What's on the other side of "the edge of the universe"?

We don't know. We'll probably never know.

Philosophically nothing, because if anything is there (including empty space), then THAT becomes the edge of the universe. That assumes an edge of the universe even still exists at this point.

Big Bang really created a lot of problems. As difficult as it was to explain or reconcile, a "forever" and "infinite" steady state universe was a lot easier to wrap out heads around. I personally would have been more comfortable with a "forever" universe, although technically the singularity would have needed to pre exist before the creation of space or some similar model of a universe that expands, then collapses and then expands again so in a way it's still a forever thing but with a lot of new challenges that we will never have evidence for because I don't think anything can be observable before the creation of space itself.

I think we can just throw that on the "probably never gonna know" pile and the best we might achieve is a rough "the universe is about this old" number but even that will be relative to our perspective and will almost have to be based upon the end of the visible universe which very well could elude us forever.

Even if we as a species survive the next 500-750 million years (which is about how long we believe the planet can support animal life) we will probably never learn these things.

[WillBrink]

I can see why. I just stumbled onto this one by accident looking for something else.



Everything is well supported, almost zero gobblygook (because absolutes probably can't exist) and most refreshing...no hysteria, no OMG super assumptions...just clean, clear explanations provided in a way intended to help other people UNDERSTAND what she is saying rather than prove her intellectual superiority to others.

Surprised you have not heard of her before. She's well known and respected among high level science/physics community. She also busts chops about various positions held by other physicists. Ridiculously smart, with common sense and grounded.