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SPACE, THE FINAL FRONTIER           The universe is unimaginably large. The most distant galaxies are so far away that their light takes some 10 billion years to reach us, even though light rays travel so fast that they could go seven times around the world in a single second. Even astronomers cannot visualize these distances, but they can chart the universe a t different scales. They use a variety of methods to measure distances: Some are appropriate for planets, others for stars or galaxies. Often astronomers build on the distant ones, so each measurement becomes a step in a ladder of distances stretching across the universe.           You'll find in this section all kinds of information on the size, shape, beginning, and end of our universe, so take a look at what's inside and click on what you want to learn more about...   WHAT'S INSIDE Size and Shape Do you know the current size of the universe? Do you know its shape? Is it a square? Circular? In this section you'll learn about each of these questions and the different methods that are used to estimate the 'known' universe.   Big Bang Need to learn more about how the universe was created and formed? Click here to find the most widely accepted theory about how it started and how it was formed.   Dark Matter Click here to find out more about these invisible objects that outnumber the visible objects we can see by 30 times! Open or Closed? Explore the debates to whether the universe is closed (has definite end or edge) or open (continually expanding) in this section.