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IS the universe flat?


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well, in space there isn't really an up or down unless you account for the direction of the local gravitational force or you could take it as the opposite direction from which your head is pointing.

 

we are surrounded by stars planets and galaxies so inwhich ever direction you got you will likely encounter stars and planets.

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"Flat" just means that matter is more or less evenly distributed throughout the universe if you look at it on a big enough scale, and that space does not have an "overall" curve in any direction. There is no "down."

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The Universe is 3 dimensional, which means you can move in 3 directions which are all 90 degrees away from each other, to cover the most distance from any other direction.

 

You can also go "backwards" along those 3 orientations, meaning that from whichever direction you're facing, there are 6 ways you can go to cover the largest distance from your point of origin.

 

There are also galaxies and things in each of those six directions, so from the perspective of somebody floating in space, you still still find galaxies if you go forward-backward / side-to-side / up-down, no matter where your eyes happen to be looking to any point in the Universe.

 

THAT'S why there is no real "direction" in the Universe.

 

Although our Galaxy has a "flat" disc-like shape, but that has nothing to do with the Universe in general. There are still many solar systems at any cross-section along the Galaxy's "thickness", with a larger "bulge" in the middle... kinda like a fried egg, but unlike a fried egg, the bulge isn't on one "side" of the Galaxy, it's all the way through.

 

Does that help make things clearer?

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