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Is the Universe a sphere with water or ice surrounding its' confinement? Are there any theories that imply the Universe being confined within a sphere of water/ice material?

Doberg
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  • Your question implies that the universe has some kind of spatial boundary. There is no such boundary in any modern theory of cosmology, even in cosmologies that speak of multiple universes. – PM 2Ring May 09 '19 at 08:46
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    At least we cannot see any such boundary in the visible universe. For all we actually know there's a close packed array of Bertrand Russell's teapots receding from us at just past c. -No evidence, so better no speculation, unless it leads to a testable hypothesis. – Wayfaring Stranger May 09 '19 at 14:53
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    It's turtles all the way down. – Carl Witthoft May 09 '19 at 17:37
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    I'm voting to close this question as off-topic because this is well beyond mainstream-related questioning – Carl Witthoft May 09 '19 at 17:37

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No. The universe is not a sphere with water ice surrounding it.

Asking about "outside the universe" is akin to asking about what a candle flame is made of before it is lit. Just because you can put the words together doesn't mean the question makes sense.

The universe is "all that exists". Nothing can exist outside the universe, because then it would exist, and if it exists then it is part of the universe.

It is probably best to imagine the universe as stretching infinitely in all directions. This is not the only possible topology of the universe, but it does help to avoid visualisation of the universe as being like a "sphere" with something outside it.

James K
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  • You're talking semantics here. Yes. The definition of Universe is everything. Today, though, we have many astrophysicists who talked about Multiverse. That breaks your semantics talk... – Alexis Wilke May 09 '19 at 05:36
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    I almost upvoted, but then asked myself if No. The universe is not a sphere with water ice surrounding it is worth the same +10 points as one of your really good answers, and decided to skip it this time ;-) – uhoh May 10 '19 at 04:13
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It's very difficult to answer a question "Are there any theories ...." in the negative, since if nothing else, the questioner has probably just formulated such a theory. I can say with reasonable confidence that no such theory has any traction or credibility in any of the communities of research and scholarship that consider such things (astronomy, cosmology, etc.). Most of the theories I am aware of have the universe unconfined and without boundaries, although possibly of finite extent.

Some consider the possibility of "domain walls" -- two dimensional surfaces that are vaguely analagous to the boundaries between crystals in a solid -- the fundamental structure of the universe has "crystallised" differently on the two sides.

Steve Linton
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  • Would the "domain walls" in theory, be crystallized ice like materials on the "edge/walls" of the universe? If so, where could one go to study people who believe this view? Thank you for your time. – Doberg May 08 '19 at 20:58
  • @Doberg No. They'd be more two dimensional elementary particles or maybe two dinmensional black holes than anything else, I think, but I'm no expert. To study these theories you'll likely need to study quantum gravity and string theory, for which purpose you probably need to start with maths degree and then plan on five to ten years postgrad study. – Steve Linton May 08 '19 at 21:17
  • Okay thank you. – Doberg May 08 '19 at 22:30
  • "Most of the theories I am aware of have the universe unconfined and without boundaries, although possibly of finite extent". You realise that's an outright contradiction, right? Wow. Also, the universe is infinite; it can't be anything but infinite. Any theories about a finite universe are born from the minds of people who require boundaries and limits. – White Prime May 09 '19 at 03:47
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    @WhitePrime Boundless but finite could simply mean closed into itself. TBH, we don't truly know this one is infinite (and we may never know for sure), although it is true this is the hypothesis that makes the most sense currently. – Florin Andrei May 09 '19 at 03:50
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    @WhitePrime consider the surface of a sphere. As a two dimensional "universe" that is finite, but has no edges or boundaries. It is seriously proposed that the universe may be a higher-dimensional analogue of this shape. – Steve Linton May 09 '19 at 07:17
  • @Florin Andrei and Steve Linton Guys, I knew you'd say these things, of course. Look: A universe that folds in on itself, or a spherical universe, are both forms that would still be 'contained' in a larger space. There's just no getting away from the fact that space is literally infinite. As bold as this sounds, the infinity of space is probably the only thing we can be certain of, as empty space cannot have a boundary. – White Prime May 09 '19 at 13:57
  • @WhitePrime A (hyper)sphere universe does not require a larger space to contain it. In standard cosmology, a universe with positive curvature can be the 3D "surface" of a 4D hypersphere. It doesn't need to be embedded in anything, so nothing exists apart from that 3D hypersurface, neither outside the 4D hypersphere nor inside it. – PM 2Ring May 09 '19 at 18:57