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In physical cosmology
Physical cosmology

Physical cosmology, as a branch of astronomy, is the study of the largest-scale structures and dynamics of our universe and is concerned with fundamental questions about its formation and evolution....
, a cosmological horizon marks a limit to observability, and marks the boundary
Border

Borders define geography boundaries of political geography or legal jurisdictions, such as governments, states or Subnational entity. They may foster the setting up of buffer zones....
 of a region that an observer
Observation

Observation is either an activity of a living being , consisting of receiving knowledge of the outside world through the senses, or the recording of data using scientific instruments....
 cannot see into directly due to cosmological effects.

The existence, properties, and significance of a cosmological horizon depend on the particular cosmological model being discussed.

In any case, it is interesting to note that the cosmological horizon is a maximal limit of perception and not an actual boundary.






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In physical cosmology
Physical cosmology

Physical cosmology, as a branch of astronomy, is the study of the largest-scale structures and dynamics of our universe and is concerned with fundamental questions about its formation and evolution....
, a cosmological horizon marks a limit to observability, and marks the boundary
Border

Borders define geography boundaries of political geography or legal jurisdictions, such as governments, states or Subnational entity. They may foster the setting up of buffer zones....
 of a region that an observer
Observation

Observation is either an activity of a living being , consisting of receiving knowledge of the outside world through the senses, or the recording of data using scientific instruments....
 cannot see into directly due to cosmological effects.

The existence, properties, and significance of a cosmological horizon depend on the particular cosmological model being discussed.

In any case, it is interesting to note that the cosmological horizon is a maximal limit of perception and not an actual boundary. Much like an individual who is unable to see the edges of the Pacific Ocean while they are floating in the middle of it; we can only see the light from areas of space within the cosmological horizon.

This is sometimes referred to as the “observable universe
Observable universe

In Big Bang cosmology, the observable universe consists of the galaxies and other matter that we can in principle observe from Earth in the present day, because light from those objects has had time to reach us since the beginning of the cosmological expansion....
”, and it has been said that the observable universe is many orders of magnitude smaller than the greater universe that lies beyond the limits of our perception.

Imagine that the entire cosmological horizon is modeled by a sphere
Sphere

A sphere is a symmetrical geometrical object. In non-mathematical usage, the term is used to refer either to a round ball or to its two-dimensional surface....
 that is the diameter
Diameter

In geometry, a diameter of a circle is any straight line segment that passes through the center of the circle and whose endpoints are on the circle....
 of a quarter
Quarter (United States coin)

A quarter dollar, commonly shortened to quarter, is a coin worth 1/4 of a United States United States dollar, or 25 Cent . The quarter has been produced since 1796....
 (24.26 mm in diameter). If Alan Guth
Alan Guth

Alan Harvey Guth is a theoretical physicist and cosmologist. Guth has researched elementary particle theory .He graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1968 in physics and stayed to receive a master's and a doctorate, also in physics....
's inflationary model of early era cosmology is correct, the universe that lies beyond this “quarter-sized” horizon would conservatively be a sphere as large as the Earth
Earth

Earth is the third planet from the Sun. Earth is the largest of the terrestrial planets in the Solar System in diameter, mass and density. It is also referred to as the World and Wiktionary:Terra.Note that by International Astronomical Union convention, the term "Terra" is used for naming extensive land masses, rather...
 globe itself.

See also


  • Observable universe
    Observable universe

    In Big Bang cosmology, the observable universe consists of the galaxies and other matter that we can in principle observe from Earth in the present day, because light from those objects has had time to reach us since the beginning of the cosmological expansion....
  • Particle horizon
    Particle horizon

    In physical cosmology, particle horizon is the maximum distance from which Elementary particles could have traveled to the observation in the age of the universe....
  • Event horizon
    Event horizon

    In general relativity, an event horizon is a boundary in spacetime, most often an area surrounding a black hole, beyond which events cannot affect an outside observer....