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It seems to be quite a common question to ask "what is the universe expanding into?" However I want to ask "where is the universe expanding from?"

Is there a "centre of expansion" of our universe and if so do we know where it is? To me it would seem that there must be a "centre of expansion" - the point from which the big bang occurred. However I have never heard any mention of it so maybe my reasoning is wrong.

Qmechanic
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bnosnehpets
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    There are plenty of versions of this question on this site. Take a look in the "related" section on the right. Thinking that Big Bang happened at a point in space is a common misconception. It didn't. Good question, though. – pela Jun 01 '15 at 19:31
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    It is expanding from and into itself. The center is everywhere. Where is the center of Earth's surface? Can you point to it on a globe? – CuriousOne Jun 01 '15 at 19:31
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    Look up answers to this question. – Vaimsus Jun 01 '15 at 19:34
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    Having thought about this more, I know why my thinking was leading me to the conclusion I made. I was thinking of 'new space' being created at the 'edge of the universe' - I guess almost like the steady state theory. Now thinking about it again and having read the answers and comments, I realise that it makes sense for everywhere to be expanding - the space at each point being 'streched'. – bnosnehpets Jun 01 '15 at 21:10

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If you are a 2D ant confined to the 2D surface of a balloon, and someone is blowing up your balloon, you might notice that your world is expanding; objects are getting further away from each other! However, there would be no "center of expansion". No point on the balloon would any more be the center than any other; the space you are living on is just getting bigger.

The answer for our universe is similar: our 3D space is expanding, but there is no center. The whole of space is getting bigger, not from anywhere, and not into anywhere, just getting bigger.

Brionius
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