Insignificance

[navarre]

The Size of Our World

 

 

 

 

 

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[Fierce_LiNk]

God, I love images like these.

 

Isn't that amazing? You could even go further and show a household in a small town in a larger country, then continent. I already feel quite small to begin with, but this takes the biscuit.

[Mundi]

These kind of pictures always leave in awe, makes me kind of wish we could explore them.

[The fish]

Here's a nice thing for some scale: In September 2003 the Hubble Space Telescope stared for just under 11 days into a seemingly empty patch of sky. The following image was taken, and contains an area that would be covered if, when standing on Earth, you had a 1x1mm piece of paper a metre away from you:

 

 

There you can see an estimated 10,000 galaxies, each one containing between ten million and one trillion stars, all in at tiny, unremarkable patch of sky. With that many stars, each with possible planets around it, the concept that we are the only planet to harbour life seems ridiculous.

[Happenstance]

Came across those images on stumbleupon the other day, really is amazing

[Dannyboy-the-Dane]

*widens eyes*

 

*blinks twice*

 

*faints*

[Eenuh]

Here's a nice thing for some scale: In September 2003 the Hubble Space Telescope stared for just under 11 days into a seemingly empty patch of sky. The following image was taken, and contains an area that would be covered if, when standing on Earth, you had a 1x1mm piece of paper a metre away from you:

 

 

There you can see an estimated 10,000 galaxies, each one containing between ten million and one trillion stars, all in at tiny, unremarkable patch of sky. With that many stars, each with possible planets around it, the concept that we are the only planet to harbour life seems ridiculous.

 

I love pictures like that, or just of other galaxies and stars and all that. The universe is amazing.

[Letty]

I have a gif of those images somewhere, but it continues a lot longer - there are things much bigger than Antares ._.

[Dan_Dare]

Here's a proper head fuck for you.

If the universe is infinite, largely made of nothing and constantly expanding....

 

what is it expanding in to?

 

is there a space less than nothing? are there other universes in this void beyond the void? It's utterly beyond human comprehension- I mean that literally. If you think about it, all you can come up with is a lack of words and meaning. A gap that we, as a civilisation, have no means of filling.

 

I love space.

[Happenstance]

Here's a proper head fuck for you.

If the universe is infinite, largely made of nothing and constantly expanding....

 

what is it expanding in to?

 

is there a space less than nothing? are there other universes in this void beyond the void? It's utterly beyond human comprehension- I mean that literally. If you think about it, all you can come up with is a lack of words and meaning. A gap that we, as a civilisation, have no means of filling.

 

I love space.

 

I cant remember what the answer is but I asked that question a few years ago to someone and they did give a proper answer on the theory. Will have to try and find it.

[Jonnas]

Truly amazing.

It's too bad it'll take a few thousand years for us to even reach another galaxy physically.

[jayseven]

 

A nice video to enjoy, along these lines

 

Fish; there's a video about that, too;

 

 

EDIT: btw, these sorts of threads really don't help me with my essay writing.

[Fierce_LiNk]

 

EDIT: btw, these sorts of threads really don't help me with my essay writing.

 

Yeah, I'm trying to plan some lessons for tomorrow, and I keep looking in this thread. Damn j00.

[Eenuh]

Here's another comparison video of stars and stuff. Though there's even bigger ones that aren't in this video.

 

[Happenstance]

Those sizes really are mind boggling

[Dannyboy-the-Dane]

*wakes up*

 

*looks at thread*

 

*faints again*

[DCK]

Estimates put VY Canis Majoris at 1800 to 2100 solar radi, meaning it's about 8-9 times bigger than Antares. Mind boggling stuff.

 

This picture, called Pale Blue Dot, is amazing.

It's a picture of Earth, taken by Voyager 1 at 6.4 million kilometres away (beyond Pluto's orbit). It's the spot in the yellow band (caused by radiation, not Earth's orbit).

[The fish]

Estimates put VY Canis Majoris at 1800 to 2100 solar radi, meaning it's about 8-9 times bigger than Antares. Mind boggling stuff.

 

This picture, called Pale Blue Dot, is amazing.

It's a picture of Earth, taken by Voyager 1 at 6.4 million kilometres away (beyond Pluto's orbit). It's the spot in the yellow band (caused by radiation, not Earth's orbit).

 

Carl Sagan (a legend in his own right) talking the Pale Blue Dot:

 

[Aimless]

Earth may be small, but all the other spheres are a bit samey. Fine for a day trip, but you wouldn't want to live there.

 

What?

[Nolan]

From one of my favorite comics.

[Dannyboy-the-Dane]

Ah, Calvin & Hobbes. One of my favourite comic strips.

[Ramar]

Staggering really it always gives me a weird feeling when I try to think to much about these things. I guess it is the feeling of insignificance or the fact my mind just can't cope with the scale of the universe. Craziness.

[navarre]

It just makes me feel really insignificant. It makes me think 'nothing I can ever do will ever make a difference', a defeating thought.

[Sheikah]

Insignificant? I feel empowered! I'm but a speck compared to a planet or star but I'm a real boy! What a waste of rock and gas they are. They'll never be real boys!

[ReZourceman]

Insignificance