Thread: The Scale of the Universe

Very cool, like a more user friendly version of this vid: http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap100120.html. Really puts the vastness of the universe into perspective.

I'd hate to run into one of those giant earthworms...

And it goes into small as well.

I don't know which way I find more fascinating, tbh.

Probably the most humbling video I have ever seen. Thanks for the share!

Jebus. I don't have words for this. Damn. We're so small. Even when compared to the small on subquark particles.

its hard to remember that each one of those bright lights represents an entire galaxy!

I have a kind of theory of everything in which there may be a large number of different universes and a tiny number of these have life in due to a correct combination of fundamental constants.

An interesting consequence of this would be that you'd be most likely to find yourself in a universe with most conscious beings in, which can presumably be correlated with the size of the universe. This is why our universe is so incomprehensibly big.

Most universes might actually be pretty small... like in The Little Prince.

I love these kinds of graphical representations. So humbling to be
reminded of how small we are, and, on the flip side, how phenomenally large we
are. It gives a new meaning to the phrase, "Everything is relative." The first
inkling I got of this universe's size came out of Bill Bryson's "A Brief History of
Nearly Everything."

These kinds of sizes, distances, are near impossible for me to fully wrap my
head around. That's what I find so fascinating about it.

I like that it's interavtive. You can go back and forth, stop and read.

Also it ranges a lot wider than any of these pretty cool vids I've seen.

Wow, just wow. I love it!

Mind = blown.

Wow.

Average human penis size: 13 centimeters (13*10^-2 meters)

I can't wait untill hubble can zoom into planets. I wonder how long that will be...i'm tired of looking into space, it's too big so now we need to start looking into planets and seeing if there is life like us running around. It does not matter how big space is, it does not mean we are insignificant. We are here, we evolved, it must count for something.

That is awesomez.

That was real cool.

I LOVED it. Imagine looking at the Universe expanding from the highest point possible. Not only will you be superhuge, but superblown away.

Holy crap. That was amazing!

Originally Posted by LucidFlanders

I can't wait untill hubble can zoom into planets. I wonder how long that will be...i'm tired of looking into space, it's too big so now we need to start looking into planets and seeing if there is life like us running around. It does not matter how big space is, it does not mean we are insignificant. We are here, we evolved, it must count for something.

That is not possible. You need to have something orbiting the planet, before you can get proper pictures. You can still get useful data from huge distances, but if you want pictures where you can actually make something out with the human eye, you have to go much much closer.

Well, thinking about what kind of accomplishment a mars probe even is, I think
it would be preeeettty unlikely we'll get these kind of pictures anytime soon.

Just a quote to keep in mind:
"We are the only things in the world that can ever think we are small, the only things that can even think, that can cry, that can love, that can explore the world around us, which is something even the largest astral body cannot do."
~Myself
Just remember, we are, philosophically speaking, huge.

I already saw that flash and I found it pretty inspiring. It makes you feel so small and so big at the same time...

Originally Posted by YYNYM

Just a quote to keep in mind:
"We are the only things in the world that can ever think we are small, the only things that can even think, that can cry, that can love, that can explore the world around us, which is something even the largest astral body cannot do."
~Myself
Just remember, we are, philosophically speaking, huge.

Believing that you're the only sentient being in the universe is pretty arrogant.

I saw a vide once that went the other way. If you think that was trippy, try going from the earth, down to a person, down to an atom, down to a quark, down to a singularity, into micro-dimensions, down to a string. I'll see if I can find the video.

Originally Posted by ninja9578

I saw a vide once that went the other way. If you think that was trippy, try going from the earth, down to a person, down to an atom, down to a quark, down to a singularity, into micro-dimensions, down to a string. I'll see if I can find the video.

It goes into this direction as well up to the Plank Length.
Just go to the left instead to the right.

I'm not sure if it's entirely accurate though, from what I've heard there's never been any evidence that quarks even have dimensions (i.e. they are 'point particles').

If only that Planck Length was a bit bigger; things would get pretty interesting.

What do you mean by that?