A recent image taken by the Hubble Telescope offers a glimpse at what scientists are calling the oldest object so far discovered in the Universe – a young Galaxy. Well, it was a young Galaxy: Estimated at 13.1 billion years old, it may be just 600 million years of age. Remember, when looking at star light, one is really looking back in time as it takes millions if not billions of years for light to cross the galaxy and find Earth (depending on the lights origin). Our solar system did not even exist when this Galaxy was formed. Looking at light signatures of cooling hydrogen gas, Astronomers can determine the age of stars based on the heavy metals that accompany stars – especially as they age. Coupled with Red Shift, one can estimate not only the age of a specific group of stars but also where they reside in the universe. The farther away, the younger they are (or were). This specific galaxy yet to be named, sits nears what scientists coin the edge of the Universe. According to current Big Bang calculations, the Universe may only be 100 million years old from the onset of this galaxies formation – truly the infant stage of our universe.
This means we could be close to taking our first glimpse of the edge of the universe. What then? Is that God? What exists beyond the edge? Is there an edge? According to Stephen Hawking, a renowned astrophysicist, “It obviously matters because if there is an edge, somebody has to decide what should happen at the edge. You would really have to invoke God.” He also has remarked, “if you want a complete theory, then we would have to know what happens at the edge. Otherwise, we cannot solve the equations”.
I have read several theories that speak about a gravitational boundary at the edge of the universe. This gravitational boundary actually causes light to bend, arc or even reflect in a circular path around that invisible border. In theory this idea would be similar to the way that light hypothetically tries to escape the event horizon of a black hole? It certainly could explain an edge.
Are we living in the confines of a black hole? A Universe within a Universe? Is the center of the Big Bang a point in space or a point in time? According to a Sten Odenwald's article, "the center of the Big Bang was not a point in space, but a point in time! It is a center, not in the fabric of the balloon, but outside it along the 4th dimension...time. We cannot see this point anywhere we look inside the space of our universe out towards the distant galaxies. You can't see time after all. We can only see it as we look back in time at the ancient images we get from the most distant objects we can observe. We see a greatly changed, early history of the universe in these images but no unique center to them in space."
Hawking has also been on record stating, “At the moment there's not much evidence either way. It seems that we can explain the present state of the universe on the assumption that there wasn't any edge”. Another statement expresses this,” It's very difficult to prove that there isn't any edge, but if we could show that we can explain everything in the universe on the hypothesis that there is no edge. I think that would be a much more natural and economical theory”. The Universe is infinite right? Therefore in theory, there would be no edge? Yet, recent observations show that very little exists before 13 billion years ago; And what about before the Big Bang? Is that space before what would constitute an edge? What defines space that is made up of nothing?
I am confident that in my life time, we will be able to see to the edge of the Universe. What will we learn? What conclusions might we find? I am sure there will be many theories abound – many unexplainable ideas and concepts. Make no mistake, not only is this the final frontier, it is the key to understanding everything – it may even prove or disapprove the concept of God. Though, maybe such concepts are not meant to be understood. How is one to exist in a world with no unknown? What would be left to live for?
