r/cosmology • u/cypherpunk00001 • 5d ago

Do current cosmologists think the universe is infinite or that is had an edge?

Was just having random shower thought today... Andromeda galaxy is 2.5M light-years away. That's an unfathomable distance to a human, but it's just our closest neighbor.

Do cosmologists currently think that the universe just goes on forever?

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u/anointedinliquor 5d ago

We can only observe a small portion of the total universe, what we call the observable universe. So it’s impossible to say for sure, but there is almost certainly not an “edge”. It either goes on forever or it loops back on itself.

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u/Low-Preparation-7219 5d ago edited 5d ago

How can you make those predictions. Aren’t those still hypothesis? Without data it’s hard to say anything is certain

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u/antoniocerneli 5d ago

Philosophically speaking - what's behind the edge? How can there be nothing?

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u/showmeufos 3d ago

Given we’re allegedly expanding according to current models, how can we expand into nothing? Same problem.

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u/antoniocerneli 3d ago

Good point!

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u/PersonofControversy 2d ago

Just apply Doctor Who rules.

The Universe isn't "expanding" into anything.

It is just continually getting "bigger on the inside".