Have you ever looked up at the stars and wondered, "Where does it all end?" There are many theories about the formation of the universe, out of all of them ‘Big Bang’ remains the most supported theory. After the Big Bang, the universe is still expanding. So exploring its boundaries is quite mythical. But no one knows what tomorrow can be.
Before understanding what are the boundaries of the universe, let us see what exactly is the universe. The universe is the cosmos, which includes matter, energy, galaxies, stars, planets, and space itself. The universe is also theoretically said to be 13.8 billion years old. The expanse of the universe till date is 93 billion light years in diameter. We can only observe a part of the universe due to the limit set by the speed of light. The universe contains galaxies, stars, planets, dark matter, and dark energy which drives the universe’s expansion. The universe is continuously expanding like a balloon.
The universe is so vast that it does not have any centre. The universe is expanding in such a way that every point in the universe is moving from any other point. About 95% of the universe is invisible to us. These mysterious components don’t emit, absorb, or reflect light, making them detectable only through their effects on visible matter. The universe contains a large web-like structure called the ‘Cosmic Web’. may clusters of galaxies are arranged along the vast filaments of dark matter, with voids of empty space between them.
Now coming to the topic about physical boundaries of the universe. Like the surface of a sphere, you might return to the starting point after a long journey, the same way is the universe. The universe does not have any physical boundary or barrier. It is true that the universe is continuously expanding, until today no boundary for the universe has been discovered. There are also many theories that the universe is finite or infinite. But the theory of the universe being finite is more supported. The finite universe theory says the universe has a definite age and size, originating from the Big Bang, and is continuously expanding, but only a limited portion of it is observable.
So if the universe is finite, what lies beyond the universe is another big question that arises. The multiverse theory can be true. If it is true Marvels will also be true…. The multiverse theory suggests that our universe is just one of many possible universes, each with its own distinct physical laws, dimensions, and properties, potentially forming an infinite number of parallel or alternate universes. But these are pure theories. We cannot test them or prove. But yeah, the idea of multiple universes is speculative.
So after all, the boundaries of the universe still remain another unsolved mystery of nature. Scientists studying the boundaries of the universe focus on understanding its expansion and the observable limit, using data from telescopes, redshift observations, and cosmic microwave background (CMB) radiation. They explore whether the universe is finite or infinite, and investigate concepts like dark energy driving its accelerated expansion. But still we cannot be sure about the boundaries of the universe
Thank you!