We use the word universe very often with different meanings. I think if you think about its meaning, it is possible to better understand why we use it so often… The literal meaning of the word and what it means scientifically with space, time, space, matter and energy; which includes all heavenly bodies and all that exists let’s say it’s a structure.

In other words, you and me, on the internet, from where you sit to the stars you can’t see at night, but can only imagine. everything is part of the universe. So if we went away and looked at the universe from an angle where we could see the whole, what shape would we see? Is the universe spherical like a planet or a star? Or is it as flat as a sheet of paper? Maybe it’s neither…

It’s hard to find the shape of the universe if you can’t and never will be able to see the whole universe, and from time to time some question marks arise.

The question of what the shape of the universe is is a fascinating topic that has been researched, calculated and explored with various data for many years. because the universe is so big We can only see a very small part of it.

In fact, if you are interested in these matters, you often come’observable universeYou may have heard that there is a definition called ‘. So there is a part of the universe that we can never perceive. Why? Because the universe is constantly expanding and there will come a time when If we look from the world, we will be so empty that we can’t see anything around us…

As you can imagine, it is very difficult to determine the shape of a structure of such magnitude that it is impossible to perceive them. happy some scientific methods This makes the job relatively easy.

What could be the shape of the universe?

Science has three basic options for this question;

• like a paper it can be straight.
• A sphericalcan have a positive curve.
• A saddlemay have a negative curve structure.

Why does the shape of the universe have to be one of these three? you may wonder. Here it is activated general relativity it comes in. According to the general theory of relativity mass bends the space-time structureThe shape of the universe is related to the amount of mass it contains and the naturally exerted gravity.

We can also say: Density of all energy and matter in the universe how much the universe tilts, how much will it tilt? The answer to this question reveals the three options we mentioned above.

Now that we’ve learned about the options, what do these options mean?

The universe is flat, spherical or horse-like what exactly does it mean? Let’s briefly explain the question;

in the universe imagine two rockets start flying side by side. If the universe is flat, these two rockets can fly parallel to each other forever. In a closed spherical universe model, the two rockets will first move away from each other, but eventually return to where they started they will meet again. If the horse is in a saddle-shaped universe, their paths will diverge after a point and never meet again they will go on forever.

Let’s come to the conclusion; What is the shape of the universe?

To understand the shape of the universe, scientists cosmic microwave background radiation they use data. We can explain this concept, the name of which seems a bit confusing, as follows; When the universe was first formed, it was very dense and hot. However, over time this situation changed, density and temperature decreased. As the temperature drops and the density decreases Photons, the basic unit of light, became more mobile. It took 380,000 years for this to happen. The cosmic microwave background radiation is simple: We can say that the ‘light’ started its journey 380,000 years after the Big Bang and reached us.

This is the light that lasts 13.8 billion years. detect how much deviation you experience and calculating the density causing the deflection helps scientists determine the shape of the universe.

According to the data obtained and many repeated calculations that the universe is flat/almost flat with very small margins of error has been expressed. The percentage usually given is that the universe is 99% likely to be flat.

In fact, another study published in recent years, again using the data from the microwave cosmic microwave background, shows that the detected anomalies too much to keep the universe from being flatHe claimed that the universe could be a closed system in the form of a sphere. However, this different view was supported by the various studies that followed. when the flatness of the universe is reaffirmed abandoned.

Yet scientists are trying to solve many mysteries of the universe that we do not fully understand, such as dark matter and antimatter, and while we say that 99% of the probability that the universe is flat, They never ignore the possibility that it is not 1%.

What would happen if we knew the shape of the universe, what would happen if we didn’t…

Know the shape of the universe from the formation of the universe to its structure, It affects everything down to the answers to the questions like the end and the beginning.

For example, as we explained above, if the universe were spherical instead of flat, everything would one day return to where it started. In other words, the universe that expanded with the Big Bang might just be a tiny speck again… What does it mean? It’s even hard to imagine… In other words, the shape of the universe has a significant impact on the way we understand the universe. This gives scientists enough reason to know the correct shape.

Sources. Space.com/Paul M. Sutter, Dr. Eleonora Di Valentino, nature.com, phys.org, Scientific American, astronomy.com, space.org