Questions About Space: Is Travel Circular? Can You Reach Big Bang Light?

  • Context: High School 
  • Thread starter Thread starter _Mayday_
  • Start date Start date
Click For Summary

Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around two questions regarding the nature of space travel and the light from the Big Bang. The first question explores the concept of traveling in space and potentially returning to the starting point, while the second questions whether it is possible to reach the light emitted from the Big Bang by traveling far enough and fast enough.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Conceptual clarification
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants propose that if one continues to travel in space, they might eventually return to their starting point, similar to traveling on Earth.
  • Others suggest that the idea of reaching the light from the Big Bang is more complex, noting that the radiation emitted shortly after the Big Bang can be observed without the need for travel.
  • A participant mentions that the universe is currently thought to have a flat geometry, and any non-trivial topology could conflict with existing cosmological models.
  • Another participant clarifies that there is no specific point in the universe where the Big Bang occurred, challenging the assumption that one could travel to a location associated with the Big Bang.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing views on the nature of space travel and the implications of the Big Bang light, indicating that multiple competing perspectives remain without consensus.

Contextual Notes

Limitations include assumptions about the universe's topology and the nature of cosmic microwave background radiation, which may not be fully resolved in the discussion.

_Mayday_
Messages
808
Reaction score
0
Two questions to be precise, I've heard both ideas but neither from a reliable source. The ideas are put quite simply, and any further explanation would be much appreciated.

Firstly: I've heard that if you continue to travel into space, you will eventually land up where you started, much like on this earth.

Secondly: If you traveled far enough and fast enough into space, in theory could you eventually reach the light emitted fromt the big bang? So as light was released from the big bang in traveled into space, and is still traveling now.

Both of these ideas sound like cool thoughts, but I'm not sure if they are correct. I know the second one is possibly irrelevant as we would never be able to catch the light up, but possibly an interesting concept.

Thanks :smile:
 
Astronomy news on Phys.org
CrawfordK said:
Secondly: If you traveled far enough and fast enough into space, in theory could you eventually reach the light emitted fromt the big bang?
My non-physicist understanding is that we can see the radiation emitted within a short time period of the Big Bang. You don't need to travel to see it, it comes to you.
 
EnumaElish said:
My non-physicist understanding is that we can see the radiation emitted within a short time period of the Big Bang. You don't need to travel to see it, it comes to you.

That's awesome, I'm trying to find a source, where I can get some more information.
 
Does nobody have an answer? Or possible explanation?
 
Your first question has to do with the topology of the universe. At the moment the universe is thought to be very close to flat geometry and all observations indicate there is no non-trivial topology. If a non-trivial topology were to be discovered it would conflict with standard inflationary cosmology models.

I think that your second question is assuming that somewhere in the universe there is a point where the big bang happened. This isn't really the case. Enuma Elish is referring to the CMB which is a snapshot of the universe as it was approx 400 000 years after the big bang.
 

Similar threads

High School Visible Light Through a Wormhole
  • · Replies 2 ·
Replies
2
Views
2K
High School Did anyone actually see the space moving faster than light?
  • · Replies 24 ·
Replies
24
Views
4K
Undergrad Questions about the Location of the Big Bang and the Age of the Universe
  • · Replies 8 ·
Replies
8
Views
3K
High School The expansion of the Universe and time travel (By a non-scientist)
  • · Replies 2 ·
Replies
2
Views
2K
High School What fueled the Big Bang explosion?
  • · Replies 20 ·
Replies
20
Views
5K
High School Big Bang and Infinite Universe
  • · Replies 20 ·
Replies
20
Views
3K
High School Question about things moving through outer space
  • · Replies 27 ·
Replies
27
Views
5K
High School Before Big Bang: Can We See What's Beyond?
  • · Replies 18 ·
Replies
18
Views
3K
High School How Do Radars in Space Prevent Signal Dispersion and Maintain Target Accuracy?
  • · Replies 10 ·
Replies
10
Views
3K
Undergrad The Heavier Elements: A Question About Their Abundance
  • · Replies 28 ·
Replies
28
Views
4K