Cosmic view of the universe.
Observations currently indicate that the universe is infinite in size. Even though the cloud stretches out effectively to infinity, the high density region of the cloud exists in a limited volume, so you can find a center of mass through a limiting procedure. Certain kinds of clouds don't have a well-defined boundary, but instead just stretch out in all directions, getting thinner and thinner. For instance, consider a cloud in the sky. On the other hand, if an object is infinite but not uniform (for instance it has a single knot of high density at one point), you can define the center of mass of the entire object as the center of mass of the non-uniformity. If an object is infinite and uniform, you simply cannot define a center of mass because all points are identical. The situation gets more complicated for an infinite object. If an object is finite, the center of mass is just the point that, on average, has an equal amount of mass surrounding it in all directions. With no rotation, there is no center of rotation. Observations of the universe have not found any rotation at all to the universe as a whole. The center of rotation for a wheel on an axle is the center of the axle. For a basketball player spinning a basketball on his finger, the center of rotation is the point where the ball touches his finger. For the earth, the center of rotation is the axis connecting the North and South pole. The center of rotation is the one spot on a rotating object that is stationary. Let us think about all the different types of effects that could create a center.įirst, if an object is rotating, you can define a center of rotation.
![cosmic view of the universe. cosmic view of the universe.](https://ctl.s6img.com/society6/img/ZIunGQF4lJKvqGBoOM4Gyz9wKn4/w_1500/wall-clocks/front/white-frame/black-hands/~artwork,fw_3500,fh_3500,fx_-239,iw_3977,ih_3500/s6-original-art-uploads/society6/uploads/misc/126539d155434e80a9f572a61d5559f2/~~/hexagonal-cosmic-view-wall-clocks.jpg)
![cosmic view of the universe. cosmic view of the universe.](https://image.shutterstock.com/image-photo/cosmic-view-universe-600w-1558416422.jpg)
For a center point to exist, that point would have to somehow be special with respect to the universe as a whole. Public Domain Image, source: NASA.Īccording to all current observations, there is no center to the universe. Although there are local irregularities, the overall structure of the light is uniform, indicating that the universe is uniform and infinite, and has been since the Big Bang. An all-universe view of the flash just after the Big Bang (the Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation).