An example of a simile in popular science discourse:
"But when we look on the biggest scales of all, look out to the other side [sic] of the universe, and we measure how fast the universe is expanding, it seems to be speeding up which no one really understands why. So we know, we've known the universe is growing for about a hundred years now, then about twenty, twenty five years ago astronomers did an experiment to measure exactly how fast the universe was expanding and then the answer was, it's speeding up, like something has its foot on the accelerator pedal of the universe. There some sort of energy pushing the universe apart faster and faster and faster, and we have no idea what it is. We call it dark energy, but."
Dr Matthew Bothwell (Public Astronomer at the Institute of Astronomy, University of Cambridge) was speaking on an episode ('Invisibility Quest') of the programme*/podcast* 'Curious Cases'
Read about examples of science similes
Note: It is usually considered that the universe is finite (if vast) but unbounded. That is, there is no edge to the universe, as its mass curves space back in on itself. From this perspective there is no centre of the universe (just as there is no central point to the earth's surface), but all points can equally seem like the centre, as the universe extends as far as can be detected in all directions form any vantage point (just as anyone, anywhere on the earth surface could in principle choose to travel in any compass direction as no one is near an edge). I assume Dr Bothwell was using the phrase 'the other side of the universe' figuratively.
