• Question: Do you think the galaxy finishes somewhere or if it just continues???

    Asked by Kalina_XX to Stefan on 13 Nov 2014.
    • Photo: Stefan Lines

      Stefan Lines answered on 13 Nov 2014:

      Hi Kalina. Our Galaxy (The Milky Way) definitely finishes somewhere. We’ve measured how big it is (it’s diameter, since it is roughly circular). We’re still not quite sure though because our measurements are made based on the light we see from stars, but we have evidence that there is invisible matter extending further out of the galaxy, called ‘Dark Matter’.

      The universe is a completely different question. The study of the universe (cosmology) suggests that the universe has geometry (shape) which is flat. That means it is also infinite and expected to go on forever.

      Personally, I can’t really comprehend that idea!

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