In the past, humans used to think that we were at the center of the universe, making them assume that we have a special place in the cosmos. With the invention of observation tools, astronomers confirmed that the Earth is just one of the 100 billion planets in the Milky Way, which is also just one of the 100 billion galaxies in the universe.
Although it was accepted that the Earth is not the center of the universe, scientists are still eager to locate this spot.
Search for the Center of the Universe
The Big Bang Theory was first proposed in 1931 by Belgian cosmologist Georges Lemaître. Since the scientific community widely accepted this theory, astronomers have combined mathematical models and observation tools to trace the universe's origin. They also use the Big Bang Theory to reference finding the universe's center.
Most people believe that Big Bang involves the explosion of matter into empty space, but that is not the case. Instead, the Big Bang refers to the expansion of space itself. As space grew everywhere, experts also concluded that space development happens in all directions. Therefore, it has been theorized that the universe has no center.
Current astronomical observations also support this idea. In studying the Big Bang Theory, experts refer to the cosmic microwave background (CMB) or the remains of the first light that could freely travel throughout the universe. Investigations of the CMB reveal that the overall structure of light released after the Big Bang is uniform, indicating that the universe itself is uniform and infinite.
READ ALSO: Is the Universe Infinite? Big Bang Theory Says Its Expanding, Speeding Up
How is the Center Point Defined?
A center point could only exist if it is exceptional with respect to the universe as a whole. Different types of effects could create a center.
First, a center point can be observed on a stationary rotating object. Such object has defined center of rotation, such as the axis of the Earth, the finger that spins a basketball, and the axle on a wheel. Cosmic observations do not show any rotation of the universe as a whole.
Next, the center of an object can be defined in terms of its mass. In a finite thing, the center of mass is the point with an equal amount of group surrounding from all directions. This makes it impossible to define a center of mass in an infinite and uniform object because all its points are identical. Since the universe is infinite and uniform, there is no way to define its center of mass. This also applies to the center of charge.
The center of curvature offers another possibility. A curved object like a salad bowl has a central point which all other points curve away from. However, the universe is found to be flat and not curved at all.
Another possibility can be found in the center of expansion. It is the point in space where all the other points are moving away from. Astronomical observations confirm that the universe is indeed expanding and is the foundation for the Big Bang theory. It is easy to assume that there must be a time when the universe was once compacted to one point, serving as its center of expansion. However, further investigations reveal that the universe's development happens equally in all directions. In other words, the objects in the universe are not moving away from each other because the space itself is expanding. This indicates that there is no center of expansion in the universe.
No matter how scientists try to define and identify the center of the universe, it seems impossible to locate it because the universe is infinite, uniform, and non-rotating. The theory that the universe has no center is consistent with the principle that no place in the cosmos is special since the universe looks the same everywhere.
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