Galaxies are quite big.
April 3, 2013 6:17 AM Subscribe
*glares suspiciously at "Hoag's Object"*
That shit ain't right.
posted by BitterOldPunk at 6:31 AM on April 3, 2013 [2 favorites]
That shit ain't right.
posted by BitterOldPunk at 6:31 AM on April 3, 2013 [2 favorites]
*glares suspiciously at "Hoag's Object"*
Hoag's Object was glaring at you first!
posted by GenjiandProust at 6:36 AM on April 3, 2013
Hoag's Object was glaring at you first!
posted by GenjiandProust at 6:36 AM on April 3, 2013
I had a 1966 Ford Galaxie 500. It was also really big.
posted by Sophie1 at 6:42 AM on April 3, 2013 [4 favorites]
posted by Sophie1 at 6:42 AM on April 3, 2013 [4 favorites]
The universe, too, seems to be really fond of donuts.
posted by saulgoodman at 7:05 AM on April 3, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by saulgoodman at 7:05 AM on April 3, 2013 [1 favorite]
I feel like this should give a better sense of just how big some galaxies are... after all, our Milky Way is there for reference. Like placing a coin next to something before photographing it.
But, nope. I still struggle with comprehending the size of our galaxy.
posted by panaceanot at 7:22 AM on April 3, 2013 [3 favorites]
But, nope. I still struggle with comprehending the size of our galaxy.
posted by panaceanot at 7:22 AM on April 3, 2013 [3 favorites]
From Wikipedia:
"As rare as this type of galaxy is, another more distant currently unnamed ring galaxy can be seen through Hoag's Object, between the nucleus and the outer ring of the galaxy"
I'm reminded of a throw-away line from, I think, an Arthur Clarke novel about '... ancient alien civilisations, whose more spectacular experimental failures can still be seen in the night skies of Earth.'
One looks up on a clear night and wonders...
posted by Devonian at 7:46 AM on April 3, 2013 [2 favorites]
"As rare as this type of galaxy is, another more distant currently unnamed ring galaxy can be seen through Hoag's Object, between the nucleus and the outer ring of the galaxy"
I'm reminded of a throw-away line from, I think, an Arthur Clarke novel about '... ancient alien civilisations, whose more spectacular experimental failures can still be seen in the night skies of Earth.'
One looks up on a clear night and wonders...
posted by Devonian at 7:46 AM on April 3, 2013 [2 favorites]
But, nope. I still struggle with comprehending the size of our galaxy.
What's even worse is that the number of galaxies in the universe is off the same order of magnitude there are stars in our Milky Way. Essentially, in the surveys , of which the Hubble deep field photos are crop and zooms, there are as many galaxies as stars.
posted by ennui.bz at 7:57 AM on April 3, 2013 [1 favorite]
What's even worse is that the number of galaxies in the universe is off the same order of magnitude there are stars in our Milky Way. Essentially, in the surveys , of which the Hubble deep field photos are crop and zooms, there are as many galaxies as stars.
posted by ennui.bz at 7:57 AM on April 3, 2013 [1 favorite]
So, it that Malin 1 galaxy just a regular spiral whose halo luckily hasn't been disturbed or is something else going on with it? It's core spiral doesn't look any bigger than the Milky Way or any of the other spiral galaxies in the picture.
posted by cosmic.osmo at 8:02 AM on April 3, 2013
posted by cosmic.osmo at 8:02 AM on April 3, 2013
At the very least, even if this sort of 'size comparison' is beyond my mammalian brain's ken, it certainly feels like a sort of stepping stone towards, if not enlightenment, then at least an affirmation that we are part of something BIG. (or zero)
posted by panaceanot at 8:06 AM on April 3, 2013
posted by panaceanot at 8:06 AM on April 3, 2013
panaceanot: "At the very least, even if this sort of 'size comparison' is beyond my mammalian brain's ken, it certainly feels like a sort of stepping stone towards, if not enlightenment, then at least an affirmation that we are part of something BIG. (or zero)"
If you want to think about scale, you should watch Charles and Ray Eames' masterpiece, Powers of Ten.
posted by schmod at 8:17 AM on April 3, 2013 [3 favorites]
If you want to think about scale, you should watch Charles and Ray Eames' masterpiece, Powers of Ten.
posted by schmod at 8:17 AM on April 3, 2013 [3 favorites]
Hate to be that guy, but the distance of a light year given on the chart is low by a factor of 1000.
posted by sensate at 8:17 AM on April 3, 2013 [2 favorites]
posted by sensate at 8:17 AM on April 3, 2013 [2 favorites]
on a clear summer night
lying back on the grass
looking for turtles
all the way down
posted by mule98J at 8:18 AM on April 3, 2013 [3 favorites]
lying back on the grass
looking for turtles
all the way down
posted by mule98J at 8:18 AM on April 3, 2013 [3 favorites]
GenjiandProust: "Hoag's Object was glaring at you first!"
"Well, friends. I can safely say we're fucked this time," said Gandalf.
posted by vanar sena at 8:29 AM on April 3, 2013
"Well, friends. I can safely say we're fucked this time," said Gandalf.
posted by vanar sena at 8:29 AM on April 3, 2013
So...this isn't so much "how big are galaxies" as "how big can some galaxies get relative to other galaxies." As for "how big" even the smallest galaxy is I'm still set at "my brain broke."
posted by yoink at 8:30 AM on April 3, 2013
posted by yoink at 8:30 AM on April 3, 2013
Gaddam galaxies broke my brain gaddammit.
posted by flapjax at midnite at 8:52 AM on April 3, 2013 [3 favorites]
posted by flapjax at midnite at 8:52 AM on April 3, 2013 [3 favorites]
Nthing the notion that I cannot possibly fathom what 1 billion light years means. What really saddens me is that there may be a whole interstellar community right in the Milky Way that not only are we not a part of, but that nobody cares that we're not a part of it.
We're the equivalent of a spider mite on a clump of moss somewhere on a lonely lakeshore in northern Alaska. If you were someone in Paris, would you want to come visit?
posted by jimmythefish at 9:04 AM on April 3, 2013 [3 favorites]
We're the equivalent of a spider mite on a clump of moss somewhere on a lonely lakeshore in northern Alaska. If you were someone in Paris, would you want to come visit?
posted by jimmythefish at 9:04 AM on April 3, 2013 [3 favorites]
I wouldn't worry that you feel like it breaks your brain. I would worry if it didn't. It certainly breaks mine and I work in extragalactic astronomy.
posted by edd at 9:12 AM on April 3, 2013 [2 favorites]
posted by edd at 9:12 AM on April 3, 2013 [2 favorites]
Don't forget about IC 1101, which would fill up that entire picture, and is so big that if it took the place of the Milky Way, would suddenly overlap with a number of neighboring galaxies.
posted by evilangela at 9:20 AM on April 3, 2013 [3 favorites]
posted by evilangela at 9:20 AM on April 3, 2013 [3 favorites]
Hate to be that guy, but the distance of a light year given on the chart is low by a factor of 1000.
Oh great. My brain was just starting to grasp the size of these things1 and now you tell me I'm still thinking a thousand times too small?
1a lie for humorous effect
posted by straight at 9:30 AM on April 3, 2013 [1 favorite]
Oh great. My brain was just starting to grasp the size of these things1 and now you tell me I'm still thinking a thousand times too small?
1a lie for humorous effect
posted by straight at 9:30 AM on April 3, 2013 [1 favorite]
Hate to be that guy, but the distance of a light year given on the chart is low by a factor of 1000.
I emailed Rhys to let him know.
posted by funkiwan at 12:52 PM on April 3, 2013 [1 favorite]
I emailed Rhys to let him know.
posted by funkiwan at 12:52 PM on April 3, 2013 [1 favorite]
They're so beautiful. It's amazing that something so incomprehensibly large can look so understandable at the same time - like splashes and drops of ink, puffs of smoke and flame.
> Don't forget about IC 1101
Wow, that is a whole other level. I think it would be roughly three of these images across.
posted by lucidium at 1:12 PM on April 3, 2013
> Don't forget about IC 1101
Wow, that is a whole other level. I think it would be roughly three of these images across.
posted by lucidium at 1:12 PM on April 3, 2013
Today's APOD also puts things nicely in perspective.
I love the throwaway closing line: “When the comet will return is currently unknown, although humans may have merged with computers by then.”
posted by mubba at 7:10 PM on April 3, 2013
I love the throwaway closing line: “When the comet will return is currently unknown, although humans may have merged with computers by then.”
posted by mubba at 7:10 PM on April 3, 2013
It's amazing that something so incomprehensibly large can look so understandable at the same time
Amazing in kind of the same way as when a few billion atoms can clump together into a coherent whole like a horse or a raspberry or an island.
posted by straight at 10:15 PM on April 3, 2013 [2 favorites]
Amazing in kind of the same way as when a few billion atoms can clump together into a coherent whole like a horse or a raspberry or an island.
posted by straight at 10:15 PM on April 3, 2013 [2 favorites]
« Older Boom! | A German Shephard, a suit, a jar of peanut butter... Newer »
This thread has been archived and is closed to new comments
posted by joecacti at 6:27 AM on April 3, 2013