• Question: Is there a bottom of space, or is there a high point in space?

    Asked by danylok59931 to Ed, Hayley, Jason, Nathan, Sophie on 14 Mar 2013. This question was also asked by iluvnibbley456.
    • Photo: Hayley Evers-King

      Hayley Evers-King answered on 14 Mar 2013:

      Not really that we know of. Terms like bottom and height only really work in reference to something else. So Mount Everest is high relative to sea level and we only know about the bottom of the sea. We don’t really know the full size and extent of the universe, so it’s hard to tell exactly where we are in relation to it!

    • Photo: Jason King

      Jason King answered on 14 Mar 2013:

      It’s also a bit weird, because apparently, rather than being a sphere, the universe is more like the surface of a balloon, with all the planets and everything like dots on it’s surface. This means that is you go too far in any direction, you will eventually get back to where you came from. We know this because all the stars are moving away from us at the same speed, as if the balloon is being inflated. It’s strange, and a bit of a hard idea to get your head around but that’s the current idea about how space works!

    • Photo: Sophie Holles

      Sophie Holles answered on 14 Mar 2013:

      Its right that directions are all relative.. down feels like is always the direction that gravity is pulling you, which is towards the centre of the earth while you’re stuck on the earth. If you were standing on the moon then down would feel like towards the centre of the moon because its gravity would be acting on you. Jason, can you explain more about how its like we are on the surface of a balloon? Because I’ve heard the analogy that planets are like raisins in a cake that is baking in the oven.. as the cake bakes it all expands and all the raisins move away from each other..

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