Mind, blown
February 24, 2014 4:13 AM Subscribe
Experience just how big the Universe is, using this interactive graphic made by 14-year-old Cary Huang. Click on individual objects for factoids.
Yes, I know I'm insignificant...thanks for the reminder.
However, please note that this does not negate the fact that it ALL REVOLVES AROUND ME!!!!!
posted by HuronBob at 4:27 AM on February 24, 2014 [1 favorite]
However, please note that this does not negate the fact that it ALL REVOLVES AROUND ME!!!!!
posted by HuronBob at 4:27 AM on February 24, 2014 [1 favorite]
Yeah, it's a double- the previous one was deep-linked and didn't get picked up.
Mods, do your thing.
posted by pjern at 4:32 AM on February 24, 2014
Mods, do your thing.
posted by pjern at 4:32 AM on February 24, 2014
The interactive is a double, but the page actually has some cool extra context and ... it looks like, updated info? including BIGGER THINGS discovered since the interactive was made a couple of years ago? ("Last year, an exoplanet eight times the size of Jupiter was discovered"). I'm torn.
posted by taz at 4:44 AM on February 24, 2014 [2 favorites]
posted by taz at 4:44 AM on February 24, 2014 [2 favorites]
Everybody lives on a street in a city
Or a village or a town for what it's worth.
And they're all inside a country which is part of a continent
That sits upon a planet known as Earth.
And the Earth is a ball full of oceans and some mountains
Which is out there spinning silently in space.
And living on that Earth are the plants and the animals
And also the entire human race.
It's a great big universe
And we're all really puny.
We're just tiny little specks
About the size of Mickey Rooney.
It's big and black and inky
And we are small and dinky
It's a big universe and we're not.
And we're part of a vast interplanetary system
Stretching seven hundred billion miles long.
With nine planets and a sun; we think the Earth's the only one
That has life on it, although we could be wrong.
Across the interstellar voids are a billion asteroids
Including meteors and Halley's Comet too.
And there's over fifty moons floating out there like balloons
In a panoramic trillion-mile view.
And still it's all a speck amid a hundred billion stars
In a galaxy we call the Milky Way.
It's sixty thousand trillion miles from one end to the other
And still that's just a fraction of the way.
'Cause there's a hundred billion galaxies that stretch across the sky
Filled with constellations, planets, moons and stars.
And still the universe extends to a place that never ends
Which is maybe just inside a little jar!
It's a great big universe
And we're all really puny,
We're just tiny little specks
About the size of Mickey Rooney.
Though we don't know how it got here
We're an important part here
It's a big universe and it's ours!
[source]
posted by Sticherbeast at 4:58 AM on February 24, 2014 [3 favorites]
Or a village or a town for what it's worth.
And they're all inside a country which is part of a continent
That sits upon a planet known as Earth.
And the Earth is a ball full of oceans and some mountains
Which is out there spinning silently in space.
And living on that Earth are the plants and the animals
And also the entire human race.
It's a great big universe
And we're all really puny.
We're just tiny little specks
About the size of Mickey Rooney.
It's big and black and inky
And we are small and dinky
It's a big universe and we're not.
And we're part of a vast interplanetary system
Stretching seven hundred billion miles long.
With nine planets and a sun; we think the Earth's the only one
That has life on it, although we could be wrong.
Across the interstellar voids are a billion asteroids
Including meteors and Halley's Comet too.
And there's over fifty moons floating out there like balloons
In a panoramic trillion-mile view.
And still it's all a speck amid a hundred billion stars
In a galaxy we call the Milky Way.
It's sixty thousand trillion miles from one end to the other
And still that's just a fraction of the way.
'Cause there's a hundred billion galaxies that stretch across the sky
Filled with constellations, planets, moons and stars.
And still the universe extends to a place that never ends
Which is maybe just inside a little jar!
It's a great big universe
And we're all really puny,
We're just tiny little specks
About the size of Mickey Rooney.
Though we don't know how it got here
We're an important part here
It's a big universe and it's ours!
[source]
posted by Sticherbeast at 4:58 AM on February 24, 2014 [3 favorites]
"Space is big. REALLY big. You just won't believe how vastly, hugely, mind-bogglingly big it is. I mean, you may think it's a long way down the street to the chemist, but that's just peanuts to space."
posted by JanetLand at 5:17 AM on February 24, 2014 [7 favorites]
posted by JanetLand at 5:17 AM on February 24, 2014 [7 favorites]
the previous one was deep-linked and didn't get picked up.
The previous one pointed to the actual source. This one points to another goddamn Upworthy clone.
posted by ook at 5:36 AM on February 24, 2014 [1 favorite]
The previous one pointed to the actual source. This one points to another goddamn Upworthy clone.
posted by ook at 5:36 AM on February 24, 2014 [1 favorite]
Last time this was posted, I didn't realize you could click on the individual items. I'm digging the descriptons of AM Radio Wavelength.
posted by GrapeApiary at 5:48 AM on February 24, 2014
posted by GrapeApiary at 5:48 AM on February 24, 2014
How great (a) Thou are(n't).
posted by The 10th Regiment of Foot at 6:35 AM on February 24, 2014
posted by The 10th Regiment of Foot at 6:35 AM on February 24, 2014
Anybody find a teapot? Because I chuckled when I found one represented in a similar interactive display at the Perot Museum in Dallas.
posted by achrise at 7:23 AM on February 24, 2014
posted by achrise at 7:23 AM on February 24, 2014
The universe is about 14 billion years old. The farthest object we are able to detect seems to be 46 billion light years away....
We seem to be expanding at a rate of 3.2 billion light years per, um, clock year. Unless we are accelerating, then it may be over quicker than we think. Or closer. Or further. Or maybe that's not what the clock means after all. Anyhow, if we want to go to the edge (for a looksee, for example) we should hurry before we get any behinder in space or afterwarder in time.
posted by mule98J at 8:58 AM on February 24, 2014
We seem to be expanding at a rate of 3.2 billion light years per, um, clock year. Unless we are accelerating, then it may be over quicker than we think. Or closer. Or further. Or maybe that's not what the clock means after all. Anyhow, if we want to go to the edge (for a looksee, for example) we should hurry before we get any behinder in space or afterwarder in time.
posted by mule98J at 8:58 AM on February 24, 2014
Oh, boy. A new thing I get to be terrified of:
The Great Attractor:
"It turns out that our galaxy, along with several local galaxy clusters, are all accelerating towards some central point in the direction of the constellations Hydra and Centaurus which has been dubbed "the Great Attractor" at about 600 km/s. The mass necessary for such a pull would have to be something on the order of 10s to 1000s of milky way galaxies, or ~1016 solar masses. As massive as this anomaly would have to be, you'd think we'd know more about it, but it happens to be past the Zone of Avoidance, an area that is obscured by the Milky Way galaxy."
posted by Atom Eyes at 9:03 AM on February 24, 2014
The Great Attractor:
"It turns out that our galaxy, along with several local galaxy clusters, are all accelerating towards some central point in the direction of the constellations Hydra and Centaurus which has been dubbed "the Great Attractor" at about 600 km/s. The mass necessary for such a pull would have to be something on the order of 10s to 1000s of milky way galaxies, or ~1016 solar masses. As massive as this anomaly would have to be, you'd think we'd know more about it, but it happens to be past the Zone of Avoidance, an area that is obscured by the Milky Way galaxy."
posted by Atom Eyes at 9:03 AM on February 24, 2014
As a sort of test, I zoomed out from the LCD pixel (found around 10-3) until it was about the size of one of my monitor's pixels, and, sure enough, the matchstick, egg, penny, and square inch were all actual size at that level of zoom.
posted by straight at 12:04 PM on February 24, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by straight at 12:04 PM on February 24, 2014 [1 favorite]
Double or not, it's the first time I've seen it, and I appreciate it. Thanks!
posted by sotonohito at 6:40 PM on February 24, 2014
posted by sotonohito at 6:40 PM on February 24, 2014
Very lovely, thanks
posted by communicator at 11:14 PM on February 24, 2014
posted by communicator at 11:14 PM on February 24, 2014
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posted by Ned G at 4:26 AM on February 24, 2014