Multiverse

Introduction
Types of multiverses
Critiques of multiverse theories

References & Edit History Related Topics

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Discover the difference between the observable universe and the whole universe

Hear about the speculation and different types of multiverse models

Learn about the many-worlds picture of quantum mechanics

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Nicolaus Copernicus. Nicolas Copernicus (1473-1543) Polish astronomer. In 1543 he published, forward proof of a Heliocentric (sun centered) universe. Coloured stipple engraving published London 1802. De revolutionibus orbium coelestium libri vi.

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Related Questions

How are bubble universes described in inflationary multiverse models?
How can a many-worlds multiverse coexist with an eternally inflating multiverse?
How could a baby universe bud off from a parent universe?
How could quantum gravity allow a new space-time region to form?
How could some inflationary multiverse models be empirically testable?
How did Max Tegmark connect the universe to mathematical formal systems?
How did William James use the term multiverse differently from modern cosmologists?
How did a false vacuum create a repulsive force during early cosmic inflation?
How did inflation address the predicted abundance of magnetic monopoles?
How do multiverse defenders argue that a multiverse can be a simpler explanation than a single universe?
How does Ockham’s razor challenge multiverse theories?
How does a cyclical cosmology connect a big crunch to a later big bang?
How does eternal inflation produce many postinflationary regions?
How does modal realism treat possible worlds?
How does string theory connect extra dimensions to multiverse theories?
How does the many-worlds interpretation account for every possible outcome of a quantum measurement?
How have black holes been proposed as possible sites for baby-universe formation?
How large is the observable universe in light-years?
When did philosopher David Kellogg Lewis develop modal realism?
Which multiverse models are most difficult to test through observation?
Who coined the term multiverse in 1895?
Why are anthropic arguments about the cosmological constant controversial?
Why are spiritual or religious planes of existence difficult to describe as physical multiverses?
Why do critics describe some multiverse theories as philosophy rather than science?
Why does quantum measurement create a problem for the Schrödinger equation?
Why is it difficult to calculate the probability of life in different universes?
Why is the cosmological constant important in anthropic explanations of the multiverse?
Why would baby universes be unlikely to interact with their parent universes after forming?
Why would much of an eternal inflation and string landscape multiverse be unable to support life?

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External Websites

Live Science - How real is the multiverse?
CNN Style - Why the multiverse is the movie fantasy for our times
National Center for Biotechnology Information - PubMed Central - Multiverse to inform neurological research: an example using recovery outcome of neglect
PBS - NOVA - Video: Do We Live in a Multiverse?
ABC listen - Why the multiverse is all about you
Space - 5 Reasons We May Live in a Multiverse
NPR - Does the Multiverse Make Sense?
IOPscience - Journal of Physics: Conference Series - Does fine-tuning support the existence of a multiverse
University of California - eScholarship - The Quantum Multiverse
PhilArchive - The landscape and the multiverse: Whatï¿½s the problem? (PDF)

Multiverse

cosmology

Written by

Anthony Aguirre

Professor, Department of Physics, University of California, Santa Cruz.

Anthony Aguirre

Fact-checked by

Britannica Editors

Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....

Britannica Editors

Last updated

Nov. 9, 2026 •History

Multiverse, a hypothetical collection of potentially diverse observable universes, each of which would comprise everything that is experimentally accessible by a connected community of observers. The observable known universe, which is accessible to telescopes, is about 90 billion light-years across. However, this universe would constitute just a small or even infinitesimal subset of the multiverse. The multiverse idea has arisen in many versions, primarily in cosmology, quantum mechanics, and philosophy, and often asserts the actual...

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