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354 points instagraham | 1 comments | | HN request time: 0.216s | source
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keyle ◴[] No.43533500[source]

Potentially a very dumb question, but seeing the difference between cyclones and hurricane on earth (clock-wise, anti-clock-wise)...

Does it mean that we are, potentially, on one of two poles(?) of the observable universe, if we're observing most galaxies around us rotating a certain way?

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peterburkimsher ◴[] No.43539378[source]

We're in the centre of the observable universe.

The observable universe is the only true sphere.

The observable universe is expanding into the unobservable universe.

What would be interesting is to run a diff on the cosmic microwave background and the pictures from the James Webb space telescope to figure out where the true centre of the universe is, and derive the poles from there.

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jenadine ◴[] No.43539479[source]

> The observable universe is expanding into the unobservable universe.

Is that so? My understanding is that it doesn't expend into something. And that it expend so fast that the edge of it becomes unobservable.

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vonneumannstan ◴[] No.43540265[source]

Thats just a distinction between the Observable Universe and the Universe. The observable universe should be labeled "Our" Observable Universe as what is observable depends on where you are. Imagine a sphere growing outward at the speed of light, this is what is observable this region is aka the Hubble Volume. Right beyond the edge there just hasn't been enough time for the light to reach our location. No woowoo required.

There are ongoing debates whether the actual Entire Universe is infinite or not.

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peterburkimsher ◴[] No.43540845[source]

There is only one Entire Universe; it's not a multiverse. And we observe it as a sphere, sized by the speed of light in every direction.

Trying to see beyond the edge would be like trying to peer out of a black hole. It would probably look blue, like Cherenkov radiation. (but I'm biased, due to having blue eyes).

If the Entire Universe is infinite, then it's eternal in time. And then we get philosophical again.

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1. vonneumannstan ◴[] No.43548520[source]

Again there needs to be a distinction between the Observable Universe and the Universe. No Physicist thinks the actual Universe ends at the edge of the Observable section. Most estimates put the Actual Universe as ~250x larger than the Observable Universe, if it is finite at all.