How big is the Universe?

The Universe is very big! In fact, it is bigger than everything else you've dreamt of. We can see that it exists as far as about 13.7 billion light years (ly) from us. We also know there is more beyond the edge of the observable Universe but we don't know how much. The Universe is expanding all the time it is bigger now than when you started reading this post!

Now, how fast the Universe is expanding?

We've always had a fascination with stars, and you probably knew that our universe has been expanding since the big bang.

But here's something you might not know. The expansion of our universe is speeding up due to some unknown force. I know it sounds weird, but it's true. Astronomers supported by the NSF have discovered that our universe is getting bigger faster than anyone thought.

Picture a baking loaf of raisin bread. Our galaxy is just one little raisin in the middle of a loaf which represents the universe. As the bread rises the universe gets bigger giving all the little raisins like us more space. Get it, space? Agh.