How big is space!!1

[Zoo]

After I saw this it made me think that we really have know clue what is out their and how big space truly is. We really can not even comprehend the size of the Universe. Funny thing as much as we think we know, it shows really how much we do not!!1
http://www.viral-videos.guru/viral-videos/proof-insignificant-also-precious/

[Yorkshire pud]

You might find this quite fun to play with too...

http://www.htwins.net/scale2/

[missing transmission]

Space is 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's, but that's just peanuts to space.

[Zoo]

Space is 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's, but that's just peanuts to space.

I just think it is funny people telling me they know things that they have no clue!!1

[TheMan WhoFell ToEarth]

The entire universe is actually contained in a glass dome around Earth, and the planet itself is concave.  Duh.

[Zoo]

The entire universe is actually contained in a glass dome around Earth, and the planet itself is concave.  Duh.

Thought it was flat!!1

[ksm32]

Space is "The Heavens" referred to in holy books. If you are deserving enough when you die you are released (your soul, essence, what ever it is that is exacltly YOU and only you)

You have the keys to the kingdom one might say and can visit any planet and experience anything. Imagine that you are the Star Ship Enterprise as one with all her crew.. However the five year mission cap has been lifted for all eternity. < How BIG is that!

Adventures beyond your wildest imagination await you if you can just avoid being a cunt in this life

why can't I spell exacltly properly? all the sudden like, hmm.

[Robert Ghostwolf's Ghost]

Trying to comprehend the concepts of an infinite universe that has existed forever; or a finite, expanding universe that suddenly exploded into existence billions of years ago, has made my head spin since I was a little kid.  Both concepts are profoundly mysterious and frustrating to me, but I particularly don't get how the second one works.  If the universe is finite, what's it expanding into?  And if it's not eternal, what was happening before its creation? 

I'm holding out a faint, desperate hope that infinity, eternity, and everything else I've never understood will be revealed after I die, but I'm not counting on it and am in no hurry to find out. 

[The General]

[attachimg=1]

[area51drone]

[attachimg=1]

LOL!!1

[zeebo]

Space is 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's, but that's just peanuts to space.

In the beginning, the Universe was created.

This has made a lot of people very angry and been widely regarded as a bad move.

[Heather Wade]

[attachimg=1]

1

[Zoo]

[attachimg=1]

I love it General that made me smile :-) Thanks for the tag and the smile !!1

[Zoo]

Trying to comprehend the concepts of an infinite universe that has existed forever; or a finite, expanding universe that suddenly exploded into existence billions of years ago, has made my head spin since I was a little kid.  Both concepts are profoundly mysterious and frustrating to me, but I particularly don't get how the second one works.  If the universe is finite, what's it expanding into?  And if it's not eternal, what was happening before its creation? 

I'm holding out a faint, desperate hope that infinity, eternity, and everything else I've never understood will be revealed after I die, but I'm not counting on it and am in no hurry to find out.

Same here.. I have heard a ton of theories of how the Universe was made, or that it was always hear. I think we as humans have a problem understanding because we are are here for just a short while. We have a beginning and a end to are existence in this form. So most are thoughts a limited to that kind of thought!!1

[Catsmile]

[zeebo]

Hey Zoo .. M. Kaku tonite gave a partial answer to your question. 

He said basically they don't know for sure, but some theorize that - paraphrasing -  it's possible that our universe is infinite in 3 dimensions - that is, you could go forward and never hit "the end" and instead eventually you'd return to where you started. 

But, it might be finite in 4 dimensions, which is outside our comprehension.  He called it a "hypersphere".  So I think what it means that that there might be a boundary of some sort, but we can't ever encounter it since it's in a higher dimension.  To us, in 3 dimensions, it appears like there are no boundaries.

If this makes no sense you can always try asking Agent:Orange on the Cosmology thread.  He could explain better, but I think he's pretty busy these days.

[GeorgieForPresident2216]

Hey Zoo .. M. Kaku tonite gave a partial answer to your question. 

He said basically they don't know for sure, but some theorize that - paraphrasing -  it's possible that our universe is infinite in 3 dimensions - that is, you could go forward and never hit "the end" and instead eventually you'd return to where you started. 

But, it might be finite in 4 dimensions, which is outside our comprehension.  He called it a "hypersphere".  So I think what it means that that there might be a boundary of some sort, but we can't ever encounter it since it's in a higher dimension.  To us, in 3 dimensions, it appears like there are no boundaries.

If this makes no sense you can always try asking Agent:Orange on the Cosmology thread.  He could explain better, but I think he's pretty busy these days.

Simply put, this question is usually answered by saying the universe is finite and unbounded.  It's finite in four dimensions (just like the Earth has a finite volume), but the 3-dimensional 'surface' we live in is unbounded (just as the surface of the Earth has no beginning or end).

Sorry I didn't answer earlier but I suspect you will not be satisfied with this answer.

Also, I wanted to say that just because we don't know the extents of the Universe doesn't mean we can't understand how it behaves.  Within at least the observable universe it is homogeneous and isotropic, meaning it is the same everywhere in all directions.  We don't have to look any further than our own personal space to understand the physics of the Universe.

By the way, inflation theory says the observable universe is really no more significant to the entire thing than a grain of sand or even an atom.

[zeebo]

...By the way, inflation theory says the observable universe is really no more significant to the entire thing than a grain of sand or even an atom.

Great explanation GFP and this last part is especially mind-blowing.

[GeorgieForPresident2216]

Great explanation GFP and this last part is especially mind-blowing.

Thanks   That's how it was explained to me, anyway.  I was just trying to put some numbers to it and a more reasonable estimate might be that a city compared to the observable universe is the same as the observable universe compared to the entire universe, a factor of 10^23.  Not quite the same awe factor but still impressive.  I guess it depends whose Inflation theory you look at.

[Zoo]

Here is something really cool!!1

http://www.iflscience.com/space/huge-gas-steam-26-million-light-years-across-spotted

[b_dubb]

Here is something really cool!!1

http://www.iflscience.com/space/huge-gas-steam-26-million-light-years-across-spotted

That was me.  I've been drinking milk and eating mexican food.  I should be ashamed.  I'm like some super disgusting super villain. 

[Zoo]

That was me.  I've been drinking milk and eating mexican food.  I should be ashamed.  I'm like some super disgusting super villain.

Might want to get that looked at b_dubb !!1