If the Big Bang exploded matter out Was the dark container of space always there to receive the matter or was the vacuum of dark empty space created as the matter expanded into it?

Answer 1

That's a very good question, and the truthful answer is "Nobody knows for sure".

Many have said, however, that the universe was very likely created as the energy and mass expanded. So the "dark, empty void" that is the fabric of space was actually created as the energy from the Big Bang moved outwards. Beyond the edges of the universe is... well, nothing. Perhaps another universe, although several have proposed the "no edges" idea. That is, much like a video game, if you pass through the "edge" of the universe on one side, you wind up on the other side. In other words, if you keep moving in a straight line across the universe, you will eventually get back to your own starting position, but you would never know that you had deviated from your path (because, in fact, you didn't). Think Pac-Man.

That's the best theory we can present at the current time.

One on the best books elaborating on the Big Bang Theory in an understandable format is Bill Bryson's "A Short History Of Nearly Everything". It explains that space was never there, but actually was created as the singularity that contained all the matter in the universe exploded and expanded. This singularity was so small that it had LITERALLY no dimensions, and took up absolutely no space, yet contained untold billions of tons of material all compacted together. As this singularity expanded, it expanded at just the right speed as to create all the forces in the universe, like gravity, inertia, and all those. If it expanded faster, the universe would have collapsed in on itself long ago, and the creation material would have been so far spread that nothing would have been made. Had it expanded slower, then everything would still be too compacted and close together, so that nothing would've been created. There is also a theory that, at some point, the universe will not be able to expand any further, and the theory also includes that the universe is still expanding. But at any rate, the theory goes that the universe will reach a point where it cannot expand any farther, and then it will slowly creep back into a singularity. And the process will start over again. This, however, cannot be proven, and is only one of several theories.

Scientists continue to investigate the conditions that created the early universe.