How Big is the Universe? The Most important Image ever taken

**Fut004** · Mar 24th, 2008 11:05 PM

I saw this video a while back and I enjoyed it. Stumbled across it again, so I thought I'd share. It really makes you think about the size of our Universe and how much a tiny little Speck our Earth actually is.

+ YouTube Video

After seeing how vast Outer Space is, and how many Planets are out there, it's kind of hard to imagine that we're the only intelligent life around.

***Sabacthani*** · Mar 25th, 2008 5:40 AM

Usually I don't speak like this but that is utterly breath taking. Endless possabilities. Various civilizations are sure to be out there. I've been listening to a guy named Michio Kaku and this guy is brilliant.

***Sandstorm*** · Mar 25th, 2008 7:37 AM

An amazing vid, very humbling indeed!

**Resentedhalo** · Mar 25th, 2008 8:36 AM

Great link Fut004... I always enjoy watching clips like this.
When I think of the size of the universe I try to bring it back down to as basic a concept as I can... the way I see it, it's all down to point of view, and ours being a three dimensional point of view limits us to our perspective... Earth is'nt even a grain of sand compared to the greater universe, it wouldn't even be the size of a sub-atomic particle (planck length) we are insignificant in the scheme of things... this can answer many questions, I'm certain highly advanced civilisations exist in the universe/multi-verse and to them we would appear like a single celled organism... technologically inferior, culturallly inferior etc etc. No doubt we appear microscopic in proportion to many lifeforms, no wonder advanced civilisations have not "officially" initiated contact, we are nothing more than a spec of microscopic organisms trying to hold onto an insignificant planetoid hurtling through the universe trapped inside a three dimensional box!

***Crimepunisher*** · Mar 25th, 2008 8:51 AM

That made me feel good somehow. Kind of puts things into perspective, realizing how small you really are in comparison with the world we know. Almost makes your problems seem trivial.

***DontBeAfraid*** · Mar 25th, 2008 5:20 PM

That made me feel good somehow... Almost makes your problems seem trivial.

Ya, I actually keep that video on my desktop to watch whenever I feel bogged down. I also keep MicroCosmos on it as well.

**mattbrowne** · Mar 30th, 2008 12:31 PM

Excellent video! I've tried to compile my own list of distances in space

ranging from 0.0012 light-seconds to 93,000,000,000 light-years

See

http://www.meet-matt-browne.com/space-fht.html

***Assassin X*** · Mar 30th, 2008 4:20 PM

Once again I have to bring up how can someone say nothing created such beauty? Wouldn't it be make sense that God created such endless beauty? For many reasons. Such as to show us what an amazing and awe inspiring God he is? He created JUST for us. I mean the universe is ours...its our painted portrait to stare at through telescopes, satellites...etc. Maybe even travel through in the future.

Just a thought. Not a debate. Either way its still a amazing thing.

***Crimepunisher*** · Mar 30th, 2008 4:31 PM

I also keep MicroCosmos on it as well.

MicroCosmos?

***brodyhyde*** · Mar 30th, 2008 4:50 PM

Originally Posted by Sabacthani

I've been listening to a guy named Michio Kaku and this guy is brilliant.

Kaku is a great theoretical Physicist. His books are great because unlike most scientists, he is also a succinct writer.

***Nu Kua*** · Mar 30th, 2008 5:42 PM

Thank you Fut for posting this, I've been looking for it.

Assassin, beauty occurs naturally in the laws of life and nature. Even if initiated in chaos, for a new life to form there eventually has to be harmony and a proper balance; symmetry can be found in the tiniest of molecular structures.

How can anybody not see that the odds are very much in favor that there are other lifeforms, other civilizations, in the Universe?

The "First Martyr for Science", Giordano Bruno, was burned at the stake for being a heretic- among his heretical views, that an infinite God created an infinite Universe's with an infinite number of solar systems-

"There are innumerable suns and an infinite number of planets which circle around their suns as our seven planets circle around our Sun." We do not see planets revolving about other stars "because of their great distance or small mass..."

and that the Universe really had no center- this went directly agains tthe catholic precepts- everything must have a center, to reflect a singular, centeral God.

"no center and no circumference exist, but the center is everywhere...
...As to us on Earth, the Earth seems to be the center of the Universe, so to inhabitants of the Moon, the Moon will appear as such ... Each world has its center, each its up and down; these differences are to be assigned relatively..."

Keep in mind this was the late 1600's

WIKI

and

Giordano Bruno and the Infinite Universe

***UVsaturated*** · Mar 30th, 2008 6:55 PM

Originally Posted by Crimepunisher

MicroCosmos?

That's the universe that exists between the ear wax molecules inside your ear.

***UVsaturated*** · Mar 30th, 2008 6:57 PM

You can look at that video one of two ways. You can say that because the universe is so vast that chances are there is more life out there, or you can say it is so vast that our chances of finding it are less and less because it is so big and we become so small.

I think the most important things are right around you.

**Cartesiantheater** · Mar 30th, 2008 7:00 PM

Originally Posted by Assassin X

Once again I have to bring up how can someone say nothing created such beauty? Wouldn't it be make sense that God created such endless beauty? For many reasons. Such as to show us what an amazing and awe inspiring God he is? He created JUST for us. I mean the universe is ours...its our painted portrait to stare at through telescopes, satellites...etc. Maybe even travel through in the future.

Just a thought. Not a debate. Either way its still a amazing thing.

Nothing wrong with chalking it up to "God." Ultimately our modern scientific understanding of the universe hits the preverbial endpoint (maybe something to do with the plank length), and afterall, many of history's great scientists thought of a superme "being" that designed and set the machine in motion (although these people didn't dare insult this hypothetical being by suggesting that it thinks significantly highly of us mere mammals or that it feels the need to intervene in the machine it designed)

But don't you think it's stretching it a bit to say he created ALL THAT just for us when there are probably thousands and thousands of places in the universe just like our solar system? I mean, thinking of how big the universe is, it kind of makes humanity's position in the universe rather insignificant (I believe the humility found in that realization is the lesson trying to be taught here)

**Fut004** · Mar 30th, 2008 7:00 PM

Originally Posted by Nu Kua

Thank you Fut for posting this, I've been looking for it.

You're very welcome.
:)

Originally Posted by Nu Kua

The "First Martyr for Science", Giordano Bruno, was burned at the stake for being a heretic- among his heretical views, that an infinite God created an infinite Universe's with an infinite number of solar systems-
***
Keep in mind this was the late 1600's

It's amazing that somebody that long ago could figure this out.
He was looking at specs in the sky and imagining things such as multiple Galaxies and an infinite Universe. It's incredible.
I'm definitely going to have to read about this Dude. Thanks.

***DontBeAfraid*** · Mar 30th, 2008 7:13 PM

Originally Posted by crimepunisher

MicroCosmos?

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0117040/

Originally Posted by assx

Just a thought. Not a debate. Either way its still a amazing thing.

You dont get to post on a forum and then call "no debatsies"

**hehbert** · Apr 4th, 2008 7:00 PM

I felt a cold chill surging through my body as I was nearing the end of that video.

Amazing & Inspirational to say the least. To think and realize how insignificant we really are, although throughout history and maybe even today, most of us still live in ignorance believing that we are special when WE TRULY AREN'T.

And so b/c of such ignorance, we feel that we are ultimately allowed to do as we please on this planet, to wreak havoc and to create an imbalance to the harmony that might have once existed.

But then again. Life on Earth is all just an accident anyway. Yes that's right... our species is part of that accident. Experiments have always been going on throughout the history of Earth, via Evolution and Natural Selection. Maybe we'll cause the Sixth Mass Extinction, maybe we won't, but LIFE GOES ON.

And so whenever I think about the problems and conflicts that looms over us, I always look up at the sky in awe, and somehow I always feel at ease that at any moment we'll disappear forever with minute impact in the grander theater that is the COSMOS.

And once again LIFE GOES ON...

I plan to incorporate that video in my personal website that I maintain for all my friends and family to see. To add to that video is Carl Sagan's Speech, check it out:

+ YouTube Video

BTW, I'm still new here so bare with me... how do I embed a YouTube video the same way Fut004 has done?

***Nu Kua*** · Apr 4th, 2008 8:06 PM

Hehbert- nice to meet you.

Click "go advanced" and you'll see a "YouTube" button. Click it and paste the url of the YouTube inside the brackets.

Voila!

**hehbert** · Apr 4th, 2008 8:58 PM

Originally Posted by Nu Kua

Hehbert- nice to meet you.

Click "go advanced" and you'll see a "YouTube" button. Click it and paste the url of the YouTube inside the brackets.

Voila!

I hope I did it right... I didn't find any brackets but I did see the YouTube tags, in which I placed the url. However, I still only see the url on my screen and no embedded video. Maybe it just takes some time?

EDIT: GOT IT. THANKS.

**Coolio** · Apr 5th, 2008 10:43 PM

I feel... small :P
Really, it makes you wonder that there maybe be more intelligent life somewhere in the universe.

**hehbert** · Apr 6th, 2008 12:12 AM

Originally Posted by Coolio

I feel... small :P
Really, it makes you wonder that there maybe be more intelligent life somewhere in the universe.

Yep. It's good you feel this way... it means the videos have accomplished their intended effect. This also means that you are another person from the collection of about six billion people, who has reached a higher ground of enlightenment.

Share that knowledge, don't be selfish!