Friday Factoid: Our Amazing Universe!
Welcome to another Friday Factoid!
And today, I'd like to ramble on about one of my favourite topics: SPACE and the Universe.
Did you know that the average galaxy holds somewhere between 100 and 200 million stars, encircling the centre?
We live within the Milky Way galaxy. The next closest galaxy is Andromeda, which is still pretty far away. Even if we travelled at the speed of light, it'd take two million years to reach it.
Today, thanks to the Hubble Space Telescope, we can observe a phenomenol 100 billion galaxies. But there are many more we can't detect.
Yet what about us in our galaxy?
Let me ask you a question.
Can you imagine being in a vehicle travelling at 330 miles.... per second?
Well, you are. Right now.
Your body at this moment is almost 20,000 miles of actual space away from where it was ONE MINUTE AGO.
The energy of the "Big Bang" all those years ago sent everything flying outward in all directions - and it's not getting any slower. The universe, if anything, is speeding up.
It's thought that in a billion years or so, we might be travelling at 1,000 miles per second. Imagine that.
Our galaxy rotates around itself every 250 million years, or so, and the sun is expected to burn out after another 16 cycles. That's about 4 billion years from now.
Today, our Universe itself is around 14 billion years old. Which seems pretty darn old.
But, really, it's just a baby.
It's expected to live for another trillion, trillion, trillion, trillion, trillion, trillion, trillion, trillion, trillion, trillion, trillion, trillion, trillion years. (If it doesn't, tell me, and I'll refund your money!)
And, of course, getting a grasp on HOW BIG that number is ... is really quite difficult.
Here's an experiment...
(zero) 0 = A...............................................................................................B = (1 billion)
Place a mark on the line above where you think one million mark would be!
Place a mark on the line above where you think one million mark would be!
...... Done it yet?
So, where did you put the mark?
Let's clarify here. A billion is 1,000 million (even though many in the UK still interpret it as a million million). That means the number 1 million wouldn't really even EXIST on the above line. And if it did, it'd be CLOSEST to the start of the first dot as is physically possible.
Does that give perspective on some of these numbers?
The Universe is amazing.
You're amazing.
The world we live is in phenomenol.
See the magic... and stop living with your limiting thoughts and your grey view of life.
Breath the fresh air, see the beauty in everything... and SMILE.
Because you are.
(Liked this? Read more of my thoughts on our universe here: http://www.karlblog.com/blog/2007/02/aude-aliquid-dignum.html - and here: http://www.karlblog.com/blog/2007/06/introducing-antares.html)
Labels: factoids, inspiration
by Karl
1:31 PM
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1 Comments:
Cosmology fascinates me, thank you for the fab facts and the gorgeous pics, Karl!
I did a meme recently: 5 Ways I Raise My Vibrations. One of mine is noticing the gorgeousness of nature, there really is beauty everywhere you look!
(I know you must be very busy, but would love to hear you 5 Ways!)
:o)
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Moondreamer, at
1:42 PM
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