✍️ Quora - The Beauty of Questions

On my Quora page, I bring together two of my deepest passions: writing and the wonders of astronomy. Quora stands out as the ultimate platform for exploring the mysteries of our universe, offering unparalleled freedom and curiosity.

I stumbled upon Quora in early 2024, and it instantly captivated me. The ability to connect with fellow physics enthusiasts by answering their burning questions was an exhilarating experience. For me, asking questions is the most powerful way to learn, and I find immense joy in crafting thoughtful responses.

Through these interactions, I deepen my own understanding of the cosmos while weaving fascinating stories that resonate with others. Sharing the awe and excitement of our physical universe not only fuels my passion but also fulfils me on a fundamental level.

Recent answers:

How many universes are there? What is beyond the universe?

Scientifically proven universes: 1.

Theoretically universes: nearly ∞∞

To answer your second question first: you can’t talk about something behind the universe because the universe in itself is everything that exists.

It is defined as all existing matter and space as a whole, meaning that something outside the universe doesn’t exist because everything that exists can only exist in the universe.

However, there are a significant number of scientists who believe in a theory of multiple universes, a multiverse.

Quantum mechanics is a seemingly weird description of reality. It involves the description of processes that tell that an electron, for example, can be at two different positions at the same time. This is known as superposition. Although already confusing, Erwin Schrödinger elevated by creating a thought experiment, known as Schrödingers Cat:

The thought is based upon the quantum mechanical principle that a radioactive atom can be in the superposition of having decayed and not decayed at the same time. Resulting from this is a trigger that destroys a bottle of poison and doesn’t destroy a bottle of poison at the same time. And, finally, until we open the box where all this takes place, the cat technically is alive and dead at the same time.

Okay, but what does this have to do with the multiverse?

Great question! The Copenhagen interpretation of quantum mechanics says, that the two states of the superposition are in the same reality. Because we can’t prove this, since when we observe the system the particle will be at one position, we could also say that the superposition branches the reality and two different universes exist with two different outcomes.

As radical as that may seem, it is as logical as saying that something can be at two different spots in the same reality.

This way of thinking that reality is branching for every quantum mechanical superposition, is known as the Many-Worlds-Interpretation of quantum mechanics. And since quantum mechanical superposition happens quite a lot, there could be an absurd number of realities out there.

How has the telescope expanded our knowledge of the universe?

Take a look at this image:

This is a long exposure image taken of the andromeda region in the night sky. The arrow points at what we today know is the Andromeda Galaxy. With the naked eye everything you see of this galaxy is just a small little dot in the sky that isn’t even that bright. Up until the 17th century this was everything that humans were able to see about the night sky. Now more than 400 years later, we can take images like this:

This is the same object seen from an ordinary telescope that everybody could buy.

So, what has changed since the invention of the telescope?

Telescopes have gotten more and more powerful overtime. When I say that a telescope has gotten more powerful I don’t exactly mean that they can take clearer images of objects which are further away (although that is parts of it) but also because they greatly expand our knowledge about different processes of the universe, like star formation, universe expansion and exoplanet formation.

For example, the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has helped us understand more about the origins of the universe. This image shows us a view of the most distant galaxy ever found by mankind.

The furthest galaxy ever detected is GN-z11, which has an apparent distance of 13.4 billion light-years. Accounting for the universe’s expansion, this distance has increased to an incredible 32 billion light-years.

But why is this so incredible?

Learning about a galaxy this far away shows us that the formation of galaxies has happened way earlier than thought of before. Additionally, we learn how these structures were able to form which helps us to understand more about the fundamental mechanics of the universe. Thus, we might one day find an answer to why we are here on this Earth. But this can only work if we expand on the research with telescopes.

I am just starting my journey but I am looking forward to writing more and more in the future...

Victor ;)