The Scale of the Universe - Interactive
What does the universe look like on small scales? On large scales? Humanity is discovering that the universe is a very different place on every proportion that has been explored. For example, so far as we know, every tiny proton is exactly the same, but every huge galaxy is different. On more familiar scales, a small glass table top to a human is a vast plane of strange smoothness to a dust mite - possibly speckled with cell boulders.
Not all scale lengths are well explored - what happens to the smallest mist droplets you sneeze, for example, is a topic of active research -- and possibly useful to know to help stop the spread of disease. This interactive flash animation, a modern version of the classic video Powers of Ten, is a new window to many of the known scales of our universe. By moving the scroll bar across the bottom, you can explore a diversity of sizes, while clicking on different items will bring up descriptive information.
Give it a try:
http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap140112.html
It does a good job at showing the sheer scale of the Universe. It is no wonder no one has come up with a 'unified theory' if there is such a thing. The universe is far too big and complex for any one person (or even a group of people) to understand
ReplyDeleteAnother cool post from Corina Marinescu! Thanks for sharing this
ReplyDeleteI have always enjoyed both this and the first one. I highly recommend playing around with it on an extra large screen or projected and hooked up to a good sound system in a dark room.
ReplyDeleteYep...that's what I'm going to do with Matt ;)
ReplyDeleteHe is going to love this one, Corina Marinescu :)
ReplyDeleteYes...you're right =)
ReplyDeleteImagine the number of drops (1/20 mL each) in a 500 mile wide cube of water. It's not less than the estimate of the number of meters in the diameter of the observable universe ;) ... I especially like the comparison of neutron star with LHC. Overall, very educational! Thanks.
ReplyDeleteYeah I love this demonstration. It gives a taste of understanding things that are entirely unfathomable. If you let yourself you can really get hit with awe thinking about it. And almost as fascinating is that the minds of some naked apes, glorified cavemen, living on a speck of dust in space are actually capable of contemplating this vastness.
ReplyDeleteSo cool. You have to wonder in the scales between the neutrino and planck length how much more there is to discover.
ReplyDeleteThe app fits on my screen. Scale is relative else concepruality is a lie.
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