Where Is The Center Of The Universe?

[Dreaming Of Pandora]

The answer to a question like this is actually quite weird and sort of funny.

The center is nowhere and everywhere (believe it or not). There is no center of the universe and there is. Yes, weird but bear with me.

Think of a balloon expanding. The skin of the balloon is stretching and getting larger just as spacetime does in the universe. The balloon isn't expanding outwards from the skin of the balloon, it's expanding from inside the balloon, the center of the balloon is the point from which it expands out from. So a tiny person standing on top of the balloon can never get to the center, because you can't get to the inside of the ballon by walking on the outside. But, there is a center to the outside of the balloon. (You can try and do this yourself): If you were to mark any point on the balloon with a spot using a marker or pen and then deflate the balloon and stretch it out so the skin of the balloon can be placed flat on the floor, you'll see that it is always in the center, no matter where you marked the spot on the balloon.

Putting this is terms of the universe, we can't reach the center of the universe as it is not located on spacetime (or on our 3 dimensions). Our Universe is very much like a balloon, it all "inflated" from somewhere and everything that is matter and energy is on the "skin" of the universe. But there is a center to the skin of the universe and it can be anywhere you choose.

So if anyone says "You're not the center of the universe", tell them "Yes I am!" and for that reason I just mentioned.

[Advent]

Interesting.

That means Spore is invalid. Well too bad! I got to the center first! You ain't getting my Staff of Life!

[Woodsprite]

I heard about this a long, long while back. A very interesting concept, though. Makes you wonder what is in that theoretical "center" space inside the balloon.

[rasomaso]

I don't know where it is, but there is a Great Clock... in the exact... CENTER OF THE UNIVERSE!!! (give or take 50 feet)

[Dreaming Of Pandora]

Originally Posted by Advent

Interesting.

That means Spore is invalid. Well too bad! I got to the center first! You ain't getting my Staff of Life!

Hey I've been making barren worlds habitable before you even ate enough food in that pool place so you could upgrade your weapons and then eat bigger food so you.. ahem etc..

Originally Posted by Woodsprite

I heard about this a long, long while back. A very interesting concept, though. Makes you wonder what is in that theoretical "center" space inside the balloon.

Exactly. And we'll never know. We are bound to 3 dimensions (well 4 technically) which makes this "air" between the center and spacetime unreachable. Unfortunately it goes against physics to be able to observe it.

Originally Posted by rasomaso

I don't know where it is, but there is a Great Clock... in the exact... CENTER OF THE UNIVERSE!!! (give or take 50 feet)

XD Oh of course there is *pats raso on the back and sends him to the looney hospital*

[tm20]

....so lets say the universe is like gum wrapped in paper. the center is a physical point or maybe even a thing (the gum) and as it expands, the paper expands with it? and if so then im guessing the many galaxies are dotted across the paper?

[Dreaming Of Pandora]

Yeah but nobody knows if this "gum" is expanding or not. Cosmologists like to call what is underneath our 4 dimensions as "the bulk". The logical answer would be whatever is in this bulk, it's expanding along with spacetime.