"My God! It's Full of Galaxies!

a reply to: wildespace

The expanding Universe doesn't sit right with me.I find it puzzling that within the first few minutes of the Universe's existence,it must have expanded at considerably more than the speed of light.

Of course,the available space was also expanding at the same time,so perhaps it isn't so curious.

It would mean that the Universe wasn't expanding at more than the speed of light,rather,it was moving at the speed of existence...or potential....moving at the speed of available space.

Blast.This requires more cogitation.

a reply to: Xcathdra

I don't think it's a matter of belief or faith.

There are approximately 200 billion galaxies in our universe. If we assume that in every galaxy there's just one planet like our Earth, then that would mean there are 200 billion intelligent species in the universe. And that is the worst case scenario.

I dunno why people think that God or whatever created our universe did so, only so the humans could advance. I don't think we're special at all.

Wouldn't it be wonderful to be able to travel to those galaxies and visit various planets there, maybe even inhabited by our "brothers in intelligence"?

Yes, it would be 1 has always been a Hubble Space Telescope fan

a reply to: MarsIsRed

That is a great video, but a little dated. VY Canis Majoris is like the 7th largest star we have seen now. I got caught in a trivia question by that.

en.wikipedia.org...

originally posted by: whargoul
a reply to: MarsIsRed

That is a great video, but a little dated. VY Canis Majoris is like the 7th largest star we have seen now. I got caught in a trivia question by that.

en.wikipedia.org...



Thank you for the wiki link, most interesting.
Just enjoyed a few minuets with my office chair tilted back, with my eyes shut, zipping round the universe at millions of light years per nanosecond, really cheap galactic/interstellar cheap travel.

So... How do you know that it's real? Take their word for it?

IMO there are no more important photos in history as important as the Deep Field images.

Just the mind blowing vastness of the universe itself is enough to keep your mind busy, but visual proof of it? WOW.

I remember when I saw the first one, it's been amazing me ever since.

We're so small.

Check this out! And most of us think we are the only living beings in the universe!!

originally posted by: Chronogoblin
So... How do you know that it's real? Take their word for it?

How do you know anything is real? And who exactly are "they"?

no matter how hard i try, i don't buy that they looked at a galaxy that was only 500mil after the big bang.

Beyond that, interesting image.

originally posted by: Ericthedoubter
Of course,the available space was also expanding at the same time,so perhaps it isn't so curious.

It would mean that the Universe wasn't expanding at more than the speed of light,rather,it was moving at the speed of existence...or potential....moving at the speed of available space.

Isn't as curious? Or is it actually... curiouser?

I'm no astrophysicist but I'd be damned if every answer didn't bring even more questions!

originally posted by: atomish

originally posted by: Ericthedoubter
Of course,the available space was also expanding at the same time,so perhaps it isn't so curious.

It would mean that the Universe wasn't expanding at more than the speed of light,rather,it was moving at the speed of existence...or potential....moving at the speed of available space.

Isn't as curious? Or is it actually... curiouser?

I'm no astrophysicist but I'd be damned if every answer didn't bring even more questions!

I think it has something to do with false vacuum spontaneously decaying to a lower energy state. It's quantum physics, and that's where the strangest stuff happens. en.wikipedia.org...

originally posted by: wildespace

originally posted by: atomish

originally posted by: Ericthedoubter
Of course,the available space was also expanding at the same time,so perhaps it isn't so curious.

It would mean that the Universe wasn't expanding at more than the speed of light,rather,it was moving at the speed of existence...or potential....moving at the speed of available space.

Isn't as curious? Or is it actually... curiouser?

I'm no astrophysicist but I'd be damned if every answer didn't bring even more questions!

I think it has something to do with false vacuum spontaneously decaying to a lower energy state. It's quantum physics, and that's where the strangest stuff happens. en.wikipedia.org...

Like I said, more questions!

I have never heard of the concept of a false vacuum. Mucho gracias for the links, looks like some interesting reading for me to do!

The Fermi Paradox

Amazing , then I questioning myself how many actually are still there?

originally posted by: Phage
Space is big.
Really, really big.

One thing to keep in mind is that as the 'fabric' of space-time expands, those galaxies and clusters that are not gravitationally bound will move away from each other such that in the future we will not be able to see (or visit) other than our local cluster.

Here's a very good video on it. Don't be depressed though, this won't happen in your lifetime.

Consider the hundreds of those tiny anonymous dots of galaxies in the background of that image, and then consider an intelligent alien on a planet in one of those anonymous galaxies looking at a similar picture from its point of view...

...and from its point of view, the entire Milky Way galaxy would just be one of hundreds of anonymous little dots in the background of that picture. That's how unremarkable we are in the grand scheme of the universe.

a reply to: Soylent Green Is People

What's even more mind-bogling is that the alien observer would see our galaxy as it was billions of years ago, perhaps looking quite different, in the process of collision with another galaxy.

The early universe was a very chaotic place, as we can actually see in these deep-field images. We see lots of weirdly-shaped galaxies entangled with each other, and lots of very bright and blue ones where enormously massive stars formed and died within a few millions of years.

If a person's eyes are the window to their soul, then I wager this is the universe's equivalent of eyes. So much that is indescribable is stirred looking this deeply into it.

originally posted by: SilverStarGazer
a reply to: wildespace

When I look at images like this I get a twinge of the homesickness I haven't felt since I went to 4th grade summer camp. Sappy but true.

You too, eh? Can't explain it rationally, but there's a sense of knowing that home's more than just right here, amirite?

a reply to: Unity_99

infinite heavens, infinite worlds and work stations

I believe in the power of love as well, I don't see work stations entering heaven. Kind of defeating the purpose of a heaven, that word "work"