How Big is Space? • Hacker News Board

Re: How Big is Space?

#41

Post by knowaveragejoe » Tue, Jul 14, 2015, 9:48 PM UTC

guelo wrote: post #30

I feel like The Scale of the Universe did a better job at giving a sense of scale, and it goes all the way from plank length to the edge of the observable universe! http://htwins.net/scale2/

I see this get posted a lot, and feel the need to share a similar thing Nikon did as well since the htwins one feels so woefully inadequate. Somewhat clunky interface, but far better for grasping the scale of things in relation to each other:

http://www.nikon.com/about/feelnikon/universcale/

Re: How Big is Space?

#42

Post by neilellis » Tue, Jul 14, 2015, 9:49 PM UTC

guelo wrote: post #30

I feel like The Scale of the Universe did a better job at giving a sense of scale, and it goes all the way from plank length to the edge of the observable universe! http://htwins.net/scale2/

It was in Flash and I was too scared to click :-)

Re: How Big is Space?

#43

Post by sgt » Tue, Jul 14, 2015, 9:53 PM UTC

guelo wrote: post #30

I feel like The Scale of the Universe did a better job at giving a sense of scale, and it goes all the way from plank length to the edge of the observable universe! http://htwins.net/scale2/

I agree, I find the BBC one pretty to look at but it's not a great illustration of how "big" space is.

Re: How Big is Space?

#44

Post by suprgeek » Tue, Jul 14, 2015, 10:00 PM UTC

They could have tossed in a few of the large moons of Jupiter & Saturn and included the Oort cloud at the very end for completeness.

Great visualization nevertheless...Especially loved the various markers for spacecraft. Mind boggling what we have achieved in the short space of about 60 years.

Re: How Big is Space?

#45

Post by sktrdie » Tue, Jul 14, 2015, 10:16 PM UTC

Guillaume86 wrote: post #38

sktrdie wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Huh, but if light takes 2.5 million years to get to Andromeda, how does it take us a few decades? You're saying that from the point of view of the photon, it takes much less time?

Yes photons do not experience time, it's all the same instant for them

So a photon can get anywhere it wants instantly to them?

Re: How Big is Space?

#46

Post by mattkevan » Tue, Jul 14, 2015, 10:23 PM UTC

neilellis wrote: post #2

"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 road to the chemist, but that's just peanuts to space." Wanted to be the first :-)

I'm worried that as these 'space is really big' sites get better, someone will inadvertantly create a browser-based total perspective vortex and instantly annihilate the brain of anyone who visits.

Re: How Big is Space?

#47

Post by Bluestrike2 » Tue, Jul 14, 2015, 10:43 PM UTC

Big is an understatement. If people had any real conceptualization of the degree of mineral wealth is out there in the inner solar system alone (to say nothing of the Jovian system), space programs would see a lot more public support.

On a related note, I hate stumbling across sci-fi novels on Amazon that conflate solar systems with galaxies. Same mindset at work there.

Re: How Big is Space?

#48

Post by MaggieL » Tue, Jul 14, 2015, 10:58 PM UTC

adonovan wrote: post #40

tobias2014 wrote: post #15

An alltime classic: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0fKBhvDjuy0 (Powers of Ten (1977))

It shows its age. The straight white man is literally at the center of the universe.

Somebody has to be.

Re: How Big is Space?

#49

Post by curiousjorge » Tue, Jul 14, 2015, 11:05 PM UTC

thaumasiotes wrote: post #28

curiousjorge wrote: post #27

Kinda depressing just how small we are and that we can't get around places to explore space without some groundbreaking invention that will transfer information from the atoms to another location instantly (something like spooky action except that after you are finished copying the atom data, the old copy must be deleted to prevent endless dopplegangers appearing) by appending some complex 3d position information (mo…

> after you are finished copying the atom data, the old copy must be deleted to prevent endless dopp[el]gangers appearing Why would we need to prevent this?

Well when you want to comeback home , you don't want to come across a clone of yourself who already married your lover, had kids, settled down and your ex lover says "you were never around what did you expect and besides it's not like I'm cheating on you because it's a copy of you". I'd imagine time travels faster when you are out exploring deep space and having a blast while the copy of you is living his life on earth. Yeah, still worth it.

Re: How Big is Space?

#50

Post by curiousjorge » Tue, Jul 14, 2015, 11:13 PM UTC

sktrdie wrote: post #32

curiousjorge wrote: post #27

Kinda depressing just how small we are and that we can't get around places to explore space without some groundbreaking invention that will transfer information from the atoms to another location instantly (something like spooky action except that after you are finished copying the atom data, the old copy must be deleted to prevent endless dopplegangers appearing) by appending some complex 3d position information (mo…

I just can't help but think that we'll reach a wall when it comes to exploring the real world. Even if we get to travel at the speed of light, we're still limited by it. In 20 years of light travel we'd only visit relatively close clusters. All the other stuff is thousands of light years away. Not to mention exploring other galaxies which are millions of light years away. Quality of life in the virtual world will per…

Fermi paradox is interesting because if aliens did have the ability to teleport they would've done so. The matrix does sound reasonable. What if we could have everything in this virtual world? The argument that we are in a matrix right now is moot because it kinda sucks. Great for the 1 percenters tho.