The universe may hide not only distant galaxies, but also philosophical answers to humanity's eternal questions. An unexpected interpretation of cosmological concepts has once again brought science and theology into the same conversation. This time, the spark was the hypothesis that "heaven" might be located beyond the boundaries of observable space.
Where does the observable universe end?
The discussion was ignited by a column from physicist Michael Guillen, a former Harvard professor and former science editor for ABC News. He proposed that beyond the so-called cosmological horizon there may be a region fundamentally inaccessible to matter, but not necessarily to an immaterial reality.
His reasoning's starting point is the basic principles of modern cosmology. The universe is expanding, and the further away an object is from us, the faster it recedes. At a certain distance, the speed of this recession becomes such that light from distant galaxies will never reach Earth. We simply cannot see them — neither now nor in the future. This limit is called the boundary of the observable universe. However, experts emphasize that this is not a physical wall or the edge of space. It is simply the limit of visibility, determined by the finite speed of light and the finite age of the universe.
What is the cosmological horizon?
In scientific terminology, a "horizon" is not an object, but a mathematical consequence of the model of the expanding spacetime structure. Cosmology distinguishes between different types of horizons, such as the particle horizon and the event horizon. They describe different aspects of which regions of the universe are observable and which are not. A central role in understanding these boundaries is played by the cosmic microwave background (CMB) radiation. This is a kind of "echo" of the early universe, which appeared approximately 380,000 years after the Big Bang, when matter became transparent to light. Thanks to this radiation, astronomers gain information about the first stages of cosmic history. Guillen interprets this horizon as a kind of threshold. He believes that beyond observable space there may be a region where the known laws of physics — including the flow of time — lose their meaning! He argues that in such a zone, atemporality could exist — that is, the absence of past and future as we know them.
Why the idea of the end of time is controversial
The most controversial claim is that time supposedly stops at the cosmological horizon. Within the framework of general relativity, such formulations require extreme precision. "Time dilation" phenomena depend on the reference frame and the observer. An analogy is often made with black holes. For a distant observer, an object approaching the event horizon appears to freeze. However, for the falling body itself, nothing unusual happens: its own time continues to flow normally. This difference is a consequence of the geometry of spacetime, not a real "stopping" of time. A similar principle applies in cosmology. Horizons are characteristics of the mathematical description of the expanding universe. Many scientists consider that turning them into literal borders beyond which "everything is different" constitutes an erroneous oversimplification. Many scientific papers have been devoted to common misinterpretations regarding the expansion of the universe and the nature of cosmological horizons.
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