From the current research, what we can know is only the scope of the observable universe, and a very limited local understanding of the solar system, and beyond this, there is almost no way for us to see the whole picture.
What is outside the observable universe, and what is the real and complete universe like, it is really difficult for humans to have a real concept, and we can only continue to conduct in-depth research on the parts that can be touched.
development of the universe
Let’s talk about the observable universe first. Although it is called the observable part, its real size is still beyond our imagination.
According to scientists’ speculation, its radius is at least between 40 and 50 billion light-years, and the things it contains are also very rich, and basically exist in the form of galaxies. That is, the same structure composed of celestial bodies as our current Milky Way.
In the process of studying these galaxies, we gradually discovered a very thought-provoking phenomenon, that is, the distance between humans and these structures in the observable universe is gradually increasing.
If it was said that the existence of some of these galaxies could be seen from astronomical equipment in the past, now it has completely lost contact. What is going on?
Let’s talk about our universe first. Its history is very long. The current speculation is estimated to be about 13 billion light-years, so it stands to reason that we can see such a long distance.
But the radius of the observable universe has reached 400 to 50 billion light-years. This is actually because the universe has gone through a very long development process since its birth, and this process is measured by the range of motion of light.
You must know that light is the fastest known matter in the universe, and the universe itself has experienced a long time of expansion, so the universe we can finally see is much larger than its theoretical history of existence.
To judge the size of a cosmic space, we should not only look at the existence history of these spaces, but also take into account its actual development process, and the movement of light is an important criterion for our judgment.
That is to say, when we stand at a certain distance and look at a certain cosmic space, what we actually see is what it looked like when it was just born, but the development and changes it has undergone since then cannot be directly seen. .
And in addition to its own motion, there is also a most basic factor, that is, the continuous expansion of the universe, just like a balloon that is constantly being blown up, the distance between the two points above will gradually decrease during this process. As we get bigger and stand in the perspective of the earth, we will slowly lose touch with the things around us.
The gaps between each other have become larger and larger, and this has continued for more than 13 billion light-years. Theoretically, if we assume that the rate of expansion of the universe is uniform, and then consider the effects of some other constants, You can calculate the size of the universe.
isolated human
Therefore, these galaxies have experienced more than 10 billion years of expansion before they have the current distance from us. The radius of the observable universe is formed in this way, and humans are gradually losing contact with the things in them along with this process. Such a fact will inevitably bring us a pessimistic state of mind.
Because no promising changes have been seen so far, and from a larger perspective, an important impact of this expansion is that the migration of human dreams may not be realized.
At least according to our current technical level, an important prerequisite for finding new living spaces outside the earth is the right distance, and even some researchers have found such places outside the solar system, but it is a pity that humans want to go here. almost impossible.
But it does not rule out that we can find closer goals, but if the universe is still expanding at the current rate, even if there are any possible goals, it will slowly go beyond our reach. Humans want to achieve The dream of interstellar immigration was also shattered.
Judging from the results of the current research, this situation is still aggravating. If we go back in time, maybe the real goal from possible to impossible is much more than we know.
From the perspective of the universe, the earth is gradually becoming an isolated island. The galaxies we can really contact or observe are less than 3% of the original ones, and 97% of the reachable targets have been lost.
Taking into account such changes, human’s understanding of the universe needs to be continuously updated in the future. A simple example is that when we obtain some new discoveries and locate the position of a celestial body in the galaxy, it is actually impossible. Immediately carry out the corresponding research and analysis work.
Because the positions of these celestial bodies are out of date, in other words, what we know is not the current latest state. To determine the course of action, we need to re-discriminate and calculate.
Epilogue
In addition to serving the development of social civilization, the purpose of astronomical research is also to consider the future of mankind. Whether it is interstellar immigration or resource exploration, it is of great significance to us.
Any new discovery will bring great hope, but whether it can actually be used for us in the end still needs in-depth analysis and research, especially if the distance exceeds the range we can go, then basically also loses value.
If this situation continues to develop, the isolation of the earth will become more and more serious. Maybe after a period of time, even the stars that can be seen will gradually decrease until they disappear completely. Earth may really be completely disconnected from the universe.
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