Where is the Centre of Universe
Where is the Centre of Universe
Where is the Centre of Universe? What Lies in the centre of the Universe?
Case 1: The Observable Universe
We are, by definition, at the very center of our observable universe. However, an alien species on a planet one billion light years away from us is at the center of their observable universe, which is very different from ours.
Wherever you go, you will be at the center of your observable universe, because the observable universe is the part of the universe that you can see, and the light from all the stars and galaxies on the edge of the observable universe takes the same time to get to you, no matter which direction it came from.
So you can imagine the observable universe as a sphere (or ball) that is centered on you and follows you wherever you go. However, there is nothing special about you specifically; anyone else in the universe experiences the same thing.
Case 2: The Entire Universe
It should be stressed that in contrast to the observable universe, the entire universe - all of it, including the parts that lie far beyond our observable universe - does not have a center.
Here are two very common misconceptions that lead people to believe that the universe has a center. I hope that correcting these misconceptions will make it clearer why the universe does not have a center.
The "Singularity = Single Point" Misconception
It is a common misconception that the universe was originally a single point. It is crucial to correct that misconception.
There is an infinite number of points in space at any given time. As the universe expands, we measure the distances between any two points to be larger than they were before. If we extrapolate this back in time, we find that the distances between any two points shrink.
If we continue this process naively, we eventually find that far enough in the past, the distance between any two points is exactly zero. This is the infamous "singularity" of the big bang.
Now, it's important to understand that in this process, points are not created or destroyed. Only the distances between them change. So even if there really was a singularity (which is a matter of debate), it's incorrect to say that "the universe started as a single point and then expanded".
The correct statement is: "The universe started in a state where the distance between any two points was zero, but there was still an infinite number of points. Then the distance between any two points started to increase."
This means that there is no "special" point where the singularity happened. All of the points in our universe today were once part of the singularity. If no point is special, then no point can be the "center" of the universe.
Case 1: The Observable Universe
We are, by definition, at the very center of our observable universe. However, an alien species on a planet one billion light years away from us is at the center of their observable universe, which is very different from ours.
Wherever you go, you will be at the center of your observable universe, because the observable universe is the part of the universe that you can see, and the light from all the stars and galaxies on the edge of the observable universe takes the same time to get to you, no matter which direction it came from.
So you can imagine the observable universe as a sphere (or ball) that is centered on you and follows you wherever you go. However, there is nothing special about you specifically; anyone else in the universe experiences the same thing.
Case 2: The Entire Universe
It should be stressed that in contrast to the observable universe, the entire universe - all of it, including the parts that lie far beyond our observable universe - does not have a center.
Here are two very common misconceptions that lead people to believe that the universe has a center. I hope that correcting these misconceptions will make it clearer why the universe does not have a center.
The "Singularity = Single Point" Misconception
It is a common misconception that the universe was originally a single point. It is crucial to correct that misconception.
There is an infinite number of points in space at any given time. As the universe expands, we measure the distances between any two points to be larger than they were before. If we extrapolate this back in time, we find that the distances between any two points shrink.
If we continue this process naively, we eventually find that far enough in the past, the distance between any two points is exactly zero. This is the infamous "singularity" of the big bang.
Now, it's important to understand that in this process, points are not created or destroyed. Only the distances between them change. So even if there really was a singularity (which is a matter of debate), it's incorrect to say that "the universe started as a single point and then expanded".
The correct statement is: "The universe started in a state where the distance between any two points was zero, but there was still an infinite number of points. Then the distance between any two points started to increase."
This means that there is no "special" point where the singularity happened. All of the points in our universe today were once part of the singularity. If no point is special, then no point can be the "center" of the universe.
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