In our last journey, we travelled through centuries of human thought — from ancient sky-watchers who saw gods and symbols in the stars, to great scientists like Galileo, Newton, and Einstein, who revealed that the universe is not just mystery but measurable, predictable, and deeply fascinating.
We also peeked into modern questions — dark matter, dark energy, artificial intelligence in astronomy, and even the possibility of other universes. Each discovery brought us closer to answering the oldest question of all: Where do we belong in this vast cosmos?
Now, let us step further into the unknown. Today, scientists are not just studying the universe — they are pushing against its very limits, asking questions that feel like science fiction but are grounded in science itself. Let’s dive into three of these frontiers:
Imagine standing on a seashore, watching the waves vanish into the horizon. You know the ocean continues, but you cannot see its end. The universe is something like that — an ocean of galaxies, stretching far beyond what our eyes, or even telescopes, can grasp.
Astronomers speak of the observable universe — a sphere about 93 billion light-years across. This is the farthest distance light has had time to travel to us since the Big Bang. Every star, every galaxy we see is part of this bubble of visibility.
But beyond that? We simply don’t know.
The universe has been expanding since its birth 13.8 billion years ago. What’s more, this expansion is accelerating, pushed apart by the mysterious force we call dark energy. That means some galaxies are rushing away from us so fast that their light will never reach Earth.
So when we ask what lies at the edge, the answer is humbling: there may be no “edge” at all, only endless expansion. The universe could be infinite, or it might curve back on itself like the surface of a sphere. Our telescopes may never give us the full picture — and that, perhaps, is part of the wonder.
Few ideas capture human imagination like time travel. From ancient myths to Hollywood blockbusters, the dream of leaping through time has always fascinated us. But is it possible? Science says: maybe, in some ways.
Einstein’s theory of relativity showed that time is not fixed — it bends and stretches depending on speed and gravity. If you travel close to the speed of light, time for you slows down compared to someone who stays on Earth. This effect, called time dilation, has already been confirmed with astronauts and precise atomic clocks.
So in a sense, “forward” time travel is real: move fast enough, and you can return to Earth to find that more years have passed here than for you.
But travelling backward in time is far trickier. The laws of physics don’t forbid it outright, but it creates puzzles like the famous grandfather paradox: if you go back in time and change the past, what happens to the present?
While scientists toy with ideas like wormholes — tunnels through space and time — we are far from building a time machine. Yet even knowing that time is flexible changes how we see our universe. It tells us that the clock in the sky is not absolute — it is woven into the very fabric of space itself.
For all its mysteries, Earth has been our only home. But now, for the first time in history, we are preparing to step beyond it permanently.
Why are we reaching out? Partly for exploration and curiosity — it’s in our nature. But also for survival. Earth is beautiful, but fragile. Building a future in space is humanity’s way of ensuring we can endure — no matter what challenges lie ahead.
From the unfathomable edge of the universe to the possibility of bending time, from dreaming about space colonies to the mystery of galaxies disappearing beyond our reach — the universe keeps reminding us of two things: it is far bigger than we imagine, and yet, we are deeply connected to it.
When you look up tonight, remember — those stars are not just lights. They are chapters of history, carrying secrets of billions of years, and perhaps even hints of our future.
In our next article, we’ll take on even deeper mysteries:
Until then, keep questioning, keep wondering — and always, always keep looking up.
With curiosity,
Sha