Bryson Reading QCCQ

1. "Now, the question that has occurred to all of us at some point is: what would happen if you traveled out to the edge of the universe and, as it were, put your head through the curtains? Where would your head be if it were no longer in the universe? What would you find beyond? The answer, disappointingly, is that you can never get to the edge of the universe."

2. The possibility of finding an end to the seemingly limitless size of the universe has no doubt captivated scientists and civilians alike for years, but its unfathomable breadth renders it absolutely impossible to travel, even if there was a perceivable end to it, which there clearly is not. The simple fact is that, if you were to reach an end to the whole of existence, you would have nowhere to go. There is nothing to find outside of everything, as my best attempt at an intelligent summary would put it. You would merely find yourself back at the start. There is no edge to the universe because, in order for there to be an edge, there must be something beyond it.

3. In many ways, this quote represents our curiosity as a species. We will always strive to discover what lies beyond our perceptions, and there will always be more to uncover. The universe will never run out of things to show us, and we will never run out of curiosity as to what those things are. There is no end, no limit, no conclusion. There is only the continued pursuit of higher understanding.

4. My question, much like the one young Bill Bryson had when reading a science textbook, is, "How do they know that?" How could we possibly know for certain the nature of something that lies quadroumptillionths (that's the technical term, take notes, kids) of miles away, farther than we could ever hope to reach? How do we know that there isn't simply a membrane at the end of the universe, and beyond it is another universe? I'm not advocating such theories or attempting to present them as the truth, because quite frankly, they're probably wrong. I'm merely asking, how do we KNOW that they're wrong?