Orbis non sufficit
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Scale
Ok, I know I've talked about the scale of things in the Universe before, but I just saw this video which, although it shows only a very limited section of the universal scale, is possibly one of the most humbling videos I've seen because it is actually somewhat comprehendable. It's pretty damn scary in fact.
Check it out:
When they say red giant, they MEAN giant.
So, that last one, 3 billion km diameter. That's about 10 times bigger than the ORBITAL radius of the Earth. In fact it would engulf everything up to Saturn if you put it in the middle of the Solar system. That's a lot of nuclear fire.
Ok, I know I've talked about the scale of things in the Universe before, but I just saw this video which, although it shows only a very limited section of the universal scale, is possibly one of the most humbling videos I've seen because it is actually somewhat comprehendable. It's pretty damn scary in fact.
Check it out:
When they say red giant, they MEAN giant.
So, that last one, 3 billion km diameter. That's about 10 times bigger than the ORBITAL radius of the Earth. In fact it would engulf everything up to Saturn if you put it in the middle of the Solar system. That's a lot of nuclear fire.
Comments:
WOW! That's crazy! It really puts things into perspective. Now stop blogging and get back to your thesis :P
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