***The Scale of the Universe***

[Steel Matt 250]

*Feb. 2013 Update! = http://mlpforums.com/topic/20345-the-scale-of-the-universe/?p=1198843

*update on post #43
*quick little update on post # 38

I was talking to a buddy of mine today at work, and he wanted to send me something called "The Scale of the Universe". If you have never heard of this animation, see the link below. I think there is a wide opportunity for discussion here! But before I spoil anything, take a look for yourself. I recommend starting at the very left and scrolling to the right:

--->http://htwins.net/scale2/

The Universe and everything in it, is truly remarkable. Our reality keeps getting stranger, and the science books keep getting updated.

After you observe the tool, what are your thoughts? I personally have many...but in summary, it's mind boggling.

-Steel Matt

EDIT: Another older version: (more description next to the particles/objects)- For those that use Apple Products, you still may need flash compatibility, but I am not too familiar with it.
http://scaleofuniverse.com/

-And yet another representation in video form!

http-~~-//www.youtube.com/watch?v=_IVqMXPFYwI&feature=related

Edited February 22, 2013 by Steel Matt

[Dragonshy 2,305]

Wow that's amazing! That's officially one of my favorite websites. Thank you!

[Strife 455]

I looked at that entire thing.

 

Quite fantastic. Insta-added to my bookmarks.

[Steel Matt 250]

Wow that's amazing! That's officially one of my favorite websites. Thank you!

 

I looked at that entire thing.

 

Quite fantastic. Insta-added to my bookmarks.

 

Indeed, it is fantastic. I'll pass the thank you along to my friend! I think the music sets it off perfectly as well. Added to my bookmarks as well!

 

Sometimes, we get so caught up in our daily lives, in our own hobbies, and in our struggles...we forget we are all apart of the same universe, one which we have only begun to try and understand! In the grand scheme of things, life's problems don't seem to matter as much

[Bohtty 1,775]

"Minecraft world" #respect. LOL

seriously though this is crazy @u@ It's really fascinating.

[cuteycindyhoney 13,283]

[Mint Petal 256]

Humbling, isn't it? How small and insignificant we are as compared to the 14,000,000,000+ light year radial expanse that is our universe. To quote Carl Sagan:

Consider again that dot. That's here. That's home. That's us. On it everyone you love, everyone you know, everyone you ever heard of, every human being who ever was, lived out their lives. The aggregate of our joy and suffering, thousands of confident religions, ideologies, and economic doctrines, every hunter and forager, every hero and coward, every creator and destroyer of civilization, every king and peasant, every young couple in love, every mother and father, hopeful child, inventor and explorer, every teacher of morals, every corrupt politician, every "superstar", every "supreme leader", every saint and sinner in the history of our species lived there - on a mote of dust suspended in a sunbeam.

 

[Simcity11100 770]

Quantum Foam is amazing to look at

http://blog.robbiecooper.org/2009/02/15/quantum-foam-aetas-serenas/

[Ganaram Inukshuk 3,679]

I remember seeing something like that (I'm suspecting it was the older version) a long time ago but inevitably lost where it was in the web.

 

You know, what caught my eye was the fact that this Scale of the Universe thing caught the size of the Minecraft world.

 

I'll admit; This is truly mind-boggling...

[Steel Matt 250]

Humbling, isn't it? How small and insignificant we are as compared to the 14,000,000,000+ light year radial expanse that is our universe. To quote Carl Sagan:

 

A great quote indeed. So many questions arise from seeing "the big picture". One thing I found amazing, was that in string theory...at 10^-35, there is a huge gap until Neutrino at 10^-24. Is there even a smallest particle? With space, time, and dimensions, the answer is...we don't know. At 93 billion light years, our observable universe- we can see objects 46 billion light years away, based off of the animation (due to the expansion of space). And if space is constantly expanding, what's it expanding into? We just don't know! .....what went wrong. (We love you Derpy!)

[Twilight Sparkle ✨ 8,520]

Incidentally, my physics teacher just showed this to me last week! He advised that I use it for my class presentation on subatomic particles. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to find a suitable place to fit it in and my presentation was already running a little over the time limit, but I sent it around to my family and they were all quite impressed.

 

It is a fantastic little piece of Flash work. I had been contemplating whether to share it here or not myself. Looks like you'll get all the brohoofs this time, Steel Matt.

[Steel Matt 250]

Incidentally, my physics teacher just showed this to me last week! He advised that I use it for my class presentation on subatomic particles. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to find a suitable place to fit it in and my presentation was already running a little over the time limit, but I sent it around to my family and they were all quite impressed.

 

It is a fantastic little piece of Flash work. I had been contemplating whether to share it here or not myself. Looks like you'll get all the brohoofs this time, Steel Matt.

 

Well, as you know, every brohoof ever given (in some way, shape, or form) goes back to the creator of the website in the first place I am thankful to the individual who put the time and effort into the project. What takes 10 min to scroll through (a couple hours to read and research) must have taken countless hours to put together. We have a lot of studying to do! (Twilight Sparkle would want us to read as much as possible about it!)

Edited June 14, 2012 by Steel Matt

[Aureity 3,055]

Fascinating. Thanks for this, I'll favorite it right away! ^^

[Zoop 8,384]

The music in that thing is exceedingly soothing - I had unwittingly left it open for the better part of four hours after it got passed around a Skype group I'm in before realizing that I'd been listening to the loop the entire time.

[Comet Tail 808]

The most amazing thing is how it goes both ways - super small, and large.

Here's a neat vid I remember:

 

 

And I'm shocked nobody's quoted Hitchhiker's Guide yet:

 

"Space is big. Very big. You just can't believe how vastly, mind-bogglingly big it is. You may think it's a long walk down the street to the chemist's, but that's just peanuts to space...."

 

And here we humans think we can understand it with our own feeble little minds.

 

"I prefer an attitude of humility corresponding to the weakness of our intellectual understanding of nature and of our own being." - Albert Einstein

 

Us Christians get a free pass - we don't say we understand it with our minds, but that it's revealed to us by a much smarter guy

 

EDIT: Forgot to mention; I was shocked by how small transistor gates are! Sheesh! That's amazing!

Edited June 14, 2012 by EASA - Matt

[Evilshy 5,089]

What's most interesting to me is that the Planck Length is theorized to be the smallest possible length. You can't have a partial Planck Length, because there is no space between one side of a Planck Length and the other.

[Steel Matt 250]

The most amazing thing is how it goes both ways - super small, and large.

Here's a neat vid I remember:

 

 

And I'm shocked nobody's quoted Hitchhiker's Guide yet:

 

"Space is big. Very big. You just can't believe how vastly, mind-bogglingly big it is. You may think it's a long walk down the street to the chemist's, but that's just peanuts to space...."

 

And here we humans think we can understand it with our own feeble little minds.

 

"I prefer an attitude of humility corresponding to the weakness of our intellectual understanding of nature and of our own being." - Albert Einstein

 

Us Christians get a free pass - we don't say we understand it with our minds, but that it's revealed to us by a much smarter guy

 

EDIT: Forgot to mention; I was shocked by how small transistor gates are! Sheesh! That's amazing!

 

That's a great concept to live by: except things with humility, and not a mindset of trying to understand everything. It reminds me of a related concept in business: "Don't be concerned with being right all the time, just make sure the right thing gets done." It may not relate entirely, but the concept of humility is present in both. In Christianity, humility is one of the most important aspects to live by.

 

As far as a free pass goes, I like to think we are given a purpose and a job. Each person, whether they choose to follow the Lord or not, is given that free will to do so, and we are all given a mindset to try to understand what is around us. But, before we can learn how to run, we must walk first. Understanding pure love, tolerance (if you will), understanding, and compassion is level one...the most important level. Once you master level one, everything else falls into place. Love is the most important concept, since God is love. We have a lot to do before we even begin to understand the universe...but by learning how big and magnificent everything is, that in itself can help us to see one another with a more loving and embracing way...although we are so small, we still matter. (Although some scientist may say otherwise!) Before I go off into a novel, science and Christianity to me, go hand in hand. Everyone of course, has a different role and purpose to play. [i'll end here, although there is so much to discuss!]

 

 

What's most interesting to me is that the Planck Length is theorized to be the smallest possible length. You can't have a partial Planck Length, because there is no space between one side of a Planck Length and the other.

 

Indeed! A good observation. And I feel like I am simply quoting the animation, but strings exists only in one dimension (in theory) yet vibrate in all other known/existing dimensions. Simply, it gives a new meaning to what we consider reality. And on that concept of reality, consider this:

 

"Images of taken with the Spitzer Space Telescope uncovered a cloud of hot dust in the vicinity of the Pillars of Creation that one group interpreted to be a shock wave produced by a supernova. The appearance of the cloud suggests a supernova that would have been seen on Earth as exploding somewhere between 1000 and 2000 years ago, and will hit and destroy the pillars in another 1000 years. Given

the distance of roughly 6000 light years to the Pillars of Creation, this would mean that they have actually already been destroyed, but because of the finite speed of light, this destruction is not yet visible on Earth, but should be visible in the next 1000 years.[7] However, this interpretation of the hot dust has been disputed by an astronomer uninvolved in the Spitzer observations, who argues that a supernova should have resulted in stronger radio and x-ray radiation than has been observed, and that winds from massive stars could instead have heated the dust. If this is the case, the Pillars of Creation will undergo a more gradual erosion.[8]"

= Wikipedia (not the most credible source, but it will do)

 

What we have learned from the above quote is, each time we look toward the stars...we are looking into the past. In "reality", some of the things we see in the night sky...are not really there at all. Again, what really defines reality? Some say its what we make of it. Others say, its too broad a word. And even others say a persons reality is based on the reality to which they are presented...conclusion? = do we really know what reality is? In the end, the more we find answers...the more the questions grow exponentially!

[Starshine 16,330]

Reading this thread, I was all like

 

Damn beautiful

[moneyshredderofdeath 414]

I remembered looking at the old flash of that a few years ago; didn't realize that an updated version was made. It certainly makes you think of how incredible the universe is, and how much it includes.

[I used to be a stranger 7,988]

"I'm significant!" screamed the dust speck.

[Comet Tail 808]

I don't know if I've mentioned this already or not, but look at the size of protons and neutrons, then look at the size of electrons. After that, look at the size of molecules. It's really amazing how most of the universe, even what we consider a very dense solid object like a lead brick, is by an absolutely staggering majority, empty space.

 

Now a neutron star... That's a different story. Those things are pure neutrons, no molecules or atoms, but pure neutrons directly contacting eachother (Size of a neutron), as such, they're incredibly dense. The mass of the sun packed into an area the size of... Well look at it! IIRC, a teaspoon of neutron star material would weigh about 3,000 tons on Earth.

 

"I'm significant!" screamed the dust speck.

 

We're tiny to the cosmos, and infinitely enormous to the quantum world.

 

But, as far as we know, we're the only area of existence that has this:

 

There may be a lot of hydrogen gas and stars and enormous structures out there, but none of it carries the significance of meaning of relationships and friendships

 

Though it is indeed quiet mind-blowing how vast all of it is.

 

That's a great concept to live by: except things with humility, and not a mindset of trying to understand everything. It reminds me of a related concept in business: "Don't be concerned with being right all the time, just make sure the right thing gets done." It may not relate entirely, but the concept of humility is present in both. In Christianity, humility is one of the most important aspects to live by.

 

As far as a free pass goes, I like to think we are given a purpose and a job. Each person, whether they choose to follow the Lord or not, is given that free will to do so, and we are all given a mindset to try to understand what is around us. But, before we can learn how to run, we must walk first. Understanding pure love, tolerance (if you will), understanding, and compassion is level one...the most important level. Once you master level one, everything else falls into place. Love is the most important concept, since God is love. We have a lot to do before we even begin to understand the universe...but by learning how big and magnificent everything is, that in itself can help us to see one another with a more loving and embracing way...although we are so small, we still matter. (Although some scientist may say otherwise!) Before I go off into a novel, science and Christianity to me, go hand in hand. Everyone of course, has a different role and purpose to play. [i'll end here, although there is so much to discuss!]

Why stop writing? Look at my posts and you'll see I don't

 

Though, what I meant by "free pass", is atheists can't tell us: "Well, you claim to know the nature of being!", because we don't claim to know it ourselves, we claim that it's been revealed by a bigger guy. Meanwhile, we can tell atheists they claim to know the nature of being of their own intellect, and so therefore are claiming to do what humbled Einstein - a bit lofty of a claim, if you ask me

 

Anyways, I've always thought of the sheer scale of the universe as sort of God's way of humbling us. First off, as I said, we must realize our place, and be intellectually humbled, i.e. Einstein's statement. Second, it's sort of a testament of God's power. Oh, we humans think we're as great as God because we've built some little tower? That's nothing compared to the continent, which is nothing compared to Earth, which is nothing compared to other planets, which are nothing compared to the sun, which are nothing compared to other suns, all of which are nothing compared to interstellar space, or even interplanetary space, which is nothing compared to a galaxy, which is nothing... etc. etc.

 

In short: I've always thought the scale of the natural world, compared to the scale of mankind's works, is metaphorical for the wisdom, power, and love of God compared to our own.

 

 

Heh, it reminds me of my AP English Lit teacher from my senior year of High School (last year)

He said he was stargazing once, and just had the thought; "how could this little speck of dust be significant to God? Of all the vast universe, even if there is a God, why would he care?"

At that instant, four shooting stars came overhead from different directions, and made a near-perfect square shape in the sky, one right after the other. His next thought was: "Okay, that's good enough for me", lol.

 

Indeed! A good observation. And I feel like I am simply quoting the animation, but strings exists only in one dimension (in theory) yet vibrate in all other known/existing dimensions. Simply, it gives a new meaning to what we consider reality. And on that concept of reality, consider this:

 

[auto-snipped]

= Wikipedia (not the most credible source, but it will do)

 

What we have learned from the above quote is, each time we look toward the stars...we are looking into the past. In "reality", some of the things we see in the night sky...are not really there at all. Again, what really defines reality? Some say its what we make of it. Others say, its too broad a word. And even others say a persons reality is based on the reality to which they are presented...conclusion? = do we really know what reality is? In the end, the more we find answers...the more the questions grow exponentially!

 

About those questions that get you to feel a bit insane about what reality really is...

Now you see why I'm going into a nice, tangible field of engineering XD lol. I like the tangible, hands-on stuff, rather than the stuff that makes you feel insane, and drives you into Plato's horrible cave.

 

It's interesting you should mention that, though, about looking back in time. Astronomers are actually hoping to investigate mysteries about the origins of the universe by building more powerful telescopes that can look further away - and thus further back in time.

Edited June 15, 2012 by EASA - Matt

[Steel Matt 250]

I don't know if I've mentioned this already or not, but look at the size of protons and neutrons, then look at the size of electrons. After that, look at the size of molecules. It's really amazing how most of the universe, even what we consider a very dense solid object like a lead brick, is by an absolutely staggering majority, empty space.

 

Now a neutron star... That's a different story. Those things are pure neutrons, no molecules or atoms, but pure neutrons directly contacting eachother (Size of a neutron), as such, they're incredibly dense. The mass of the sun packed into an area the size of... Well look at it! IIRC, a teaspoon of neutron star material would weigh about 3,000 tons on Earth.

 

 

 

We're tiny to the cosmos, and infinitely enormous to the quantum world.

 

But, as far as we know, we're the only area of existence that has this:

 

There may be a lot of hydrogen gas and stars and enormous structures out there, but none of it carries the significance of meaning of relationships and friendships

 

Though it is indeed quiet mind-blowing how vast all of it is.

 

 

 

Why stop writing? Look at my posts and you'll see I don't

 

Though, what I meant by "free pass", is atheists can't tell us: "Well, you claim to know the nature of being!", because we don't claim to know it ourselves, we claim that it's been revealed by a bigger guy. Meanwhile, we can tell atheists they claim to know the nature of being of their own intellect, and so therefore are claiming to do what humbled Einstein - a bit lofty of a claim, if you ask me

 

Anyways, I've always thought of the sheer scale of the universe as sort of God's way of humbling us. First off, as I said, we must realize our place, and be intellectually humbled, i.e. Einstein's statement. Second, it's sort of a testament of God's power. Oh, we humans think we're as great as God because we've built some little tower? That's nothing compared to the continent, which is nothing compared to Earth, which is nothing compared to other planets, which are nothing compared to the sun, which are nothing compared to other suns, all of which are nothing compared to interstellar space, or even interplanetary space, which is nothing compared to a galaxy, which is nothing... etc. etc.

 

In short: I've always thought the scale of the natural world, compared to the scale of mankind's works, is metaphorical for the wisdom, power, and love of God compared to our own.

 

 

Heh, it reminds me of my AP English Lit teacher from my senior year of High School (last year)

He said he was stargazing once, and just had the thought; "how could this little speck of dust be significant to God? Of all the vast universe, even if there is a God, why would he care?"

At that instant, four shooting stars came overhead from different directions, and made a near-perfect square shape in the sky, one right after the other. His next thought was: "Okay, that's good enough for me", lol.

 

 

 

About those questions that get you to feel a bit insane about what reality really is...

Now you see why I'm going into a nice, tangible field of engineering XD lol. I like the tangible, hands-on stuff, rather than the stuff that makes you feel insane, and drives you into Plato's horrible cave.

 

It's interesting you should mention that, though, about looking back in time. Astronomers are actually hoping to investigate mysteries about the origins of the universe by building more powerful telescopes that can look further away - and thus further back in time.

 

It is certainly mind blowing how vast everything is! I for one, can barely remember locations of quotes in the Bible, what I had for breakfast most of the time, what a specific episode numbers' title is, and the heck...the proper firing order of spark plugs corresponding to certain cylinders on my Acura (I like cars!)...and there are only four cylinders. So ok, those were some weird examples, but the point is...we are so limited in our capability mentally and physically. But spiritually and emotionally, that's a different story. As far as we know, we are indeed the only place that offers something more than hydrogen gas and cosmic radiation....we have love. Love can not be measured, as it is something given to us by God. To paraphrase from CS Lewis, Love is something not of our own. Those that do not know God, believe their love comes from within. But those that know God, know that this Love is from God, and it's only when we recognize that our Love originates from God...is when we are able to freely give it back to Him, and to all others. And to specifically quote CS Lewis About friendship! :

 

“

In friendship…we think we have chosen our peers. In reality a few years’ difference in the dates of our births, a few more miles between certain houses, the choice of one university instead of another…the accident of a topic being raised or not raised at a first meeting–any of these chances might have kept us apart. But, for a Christian, there are, strictly speaking no chances. A secret master of ceremonies has been at work. Christ, who said to the disciples, “Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you,” can truly say to every group of Christian friends, “Ye have not chosen one another but I have chosen you for one another.” The friendship is not a reward for our discriminating and good taste in finding one another out. It is the instrument by which God reveals to each of us the beauties of others.”

In relation to "The Scale of the Universe", take a look at the following images: One is Laminin, protein cell that literally holds our bodies together:

 

 

What an interesting shape it's in, eh!? Colossians 1:17 "He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together".

 

Here is another image: When scientist attempted to point the Hubble Space Telescope farther than it has gone before, it took a picture of this cosmic formation, 31 Million Light Years away from Earth!

 

 

 

Now, I am a man of faith for sure. I am also interested and have studied many sciences. The more I read scripture, and the more I ask questions that are science related...it's amazing how beautifully they go together. Perfect harmony, in my humble opinion. There is so much more to discuss about these things! The Universe in general as well.............sometimes, we need only sit back and admire it all. Psalms 46:10 "Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth."

[Krystal 1,468]

Thanks for the link! Thats gonna be my backround music from now on when I'm surfing the web and on this forum and stuff. Didn't really learn anything there though (I already knew that were just a speck of dust on a speck of dust so to speak) except that Pluto is almost equal in diameter to Texas.

[Steel Matt 250]

Thanks for the link! Thats gonna be my backround music from now on when I'm surfing the web and on this forum and stuff. Didn't really learn anything there though (I already knew that were just a speck of dust on a speck of dust so to speak) except that Pluto is almost equal in diameter to Texas.

 

Haha! Indeed. I guess it just puts everything into perspective. Its literally almost impossible to really fathom the scale of the universe we live in. (Not only that, but we are now discovering different dimensions and universes that make up multiverses etc, although only theory, some intense math and speculation does not disprove it...and this is where I draw the line. My intellect can barely handle THIS universe!).

 

In the end, it's also neat to click on each image and learn more about it. Their descriptions are very easy to understand. I plan to do more research on the small particles, and large formations in space. Should be interesting

[Twiliscael 3,958]

So.Much.Intelligence.

 

It still is incredible, however.