The Sharpest View Ever of the Triangulum Galaxy , 40 Billion Stars and Counting

a reply to: Fisherr

Yeah, I think they're just desperately hanging on for whatever reason.

.. to their comfortable delusion.

a reply to: elgaz

I'm with you, if infinite then some form of us has to exist beyond this planet, however how could there be such a force of pressure without containment, unless the energy in the big bang was pulled together.

You see those clusters of stars everywhere surrounding us almost like a blanket of light if you were able to see forever, and then think about the fact that all of that surrounds us and we're not even the center. We perceive ourselves as being the center as we are surrounded but that no is just one small angular portion from the true center. It seems to be infinite in reference to our scale, but what if our whole universe is what would be relative to an atom for us, to another being.

a reply to: gortex

All I can say is how gorgeous that is.

originally posted by: TheLead
You see those clusters of stars everywhere surrounding us almost like a blanket of light if you were able to see forever, and then think about the fact that all of that surrounds us and we're not even the center. We perceive ourselves as being the center as we are surrounded but that no is just one small angular portion from the true center.

If you took off in a rocket that could go faster than light, the edge of the universe would be pretty much the same distance away no matter which direction you went. That means we're at the center.

originally posted by: Blue Shift

originally posted by: TheLead
You see those clusters of stars everywhere surrounding us almost like a blanket of light if you were able to see forever, and then think about the fact that all of that surrounds us and we're not even the center. We perceive ourselves as being the center as we are surrounded but that no is just one small angular portion from the true center.

If you took off in a rocket that could go faster than light, the edge of the universe would be pretty much the same distance away no matter which direction you went. That means we're at the center.

The edge? If you mean the edge of the observable universe, then yes, we are at the centre of it. But there's a whole lot of the rest of the universe out there. Can you ever reach "the edge"? Is there even such a thing?

Since I am not a science guy, this is an honest question (even though it may sound stupid to you all..lol) I just wondered.

With so many galaxies and stars in the universe and light being a physical photon coming from ALL of them, how is the entire area of space not brighter? If we can see light from millions and billions of light years away in one small area of space, how is it ALL of space emitting light doesn't create protons colliding and making one gigantic source of light?

I think of 100 people with flashlights. 1 turns it on shining it into the sky. Then 2, 5, 25, 75, 100 people. As they all turn on the flashlights light combines to brighten up the night sky...wouldn't TRILLIONS and TRILLIONS and TRILLIONS of stars do the same thing to all of space? Especially from our vantage point?

a reply to: rcwilliams775

You're talking about focused light within an atmosphere interacting with the particulate make up close range vs a non focused light like lantern in a deep cave with low atmosphere low light exchange/enhancement from miles away.

There are people here that can probably explain it in better format, but that's the general gyst of it.

originally posted by: rcwilliams775
Since I am not a science guy, this is an honest question (even though it may sound stupid to you all..lol) I just wondered.

With so many galaxies and stars in the universe and light being a physical photon coming from ALL of them, how is the entire area of space not brighter? If we can see light from millions and billions of light years away in one small area of space, how is it ALL of space emitting light doesn't create protons colliding and making one gigantic source of light?

I think of 100 people with flashlights. 1 turns it on shining it into the sky. Then 2, 5, 25, 75, 100 people. As they all turn on the flashlights light combines to brighten up the night sky...wouldn't TRILLIONS and TRILLIONS and TRILLIONS of stars do the same thing to all of space? Especially from our vantage point?

Simply put, "The intensity of light is inversely proportional to the square of the distance."

All those trillions of stars are so far away, we're barely getting any photons from them, and it requires long exposure times using large telescopes in order to photograph them.

a reply to: Blue Shift

That doesnt seem possible, if everything condensed to a single point there has to be a true center, an origination. I believe that misconception was from the idea universe is not only expanding from that single point but from all points. Aside from the gravitational pushes/pulls of solar "bodies", as a whole everything is separating.

I understand this doesnt fit with the accepted theories, of course it's never made sense to me why our universe would be flat or curved, it makes no sense to be not be 3d or spherical in nature.

originally posted by: TheLead
I understand this doesnt fit with the accepted theories, of course it's never made sense to me why our universe would be flat or curved, it makes no sense to be not be 3d or spherical in nature.

More like this, operating on many dimensions:

Either way, we're at the center. Because the center is everywhere.

a reply to: Soylent Green Is People

I apologise, I did not mean that life "started" on Mars or Earth because of abiogenesis, I need to start reviewing the words I use in my drafts before I post them.

Abiogenesis is one theory I just cannot wrap my mind around, that RNA/DNA just decided to assemble itself from literally nothing, without instruction, from basic amino acids etc.

Panspermia I believe in because it is plausible that the ingredients and complex chains arrived here (or Mars), maybe even basic protocells or RNA/DNA itself (I don't believe that so much however).

The more I try to comprehend abiogenesis, the more religious in my head it starts to sound (not in a bad way, just odd as I am non religious).

I have no clue, and at the moment no one else knows how life itself became to be.

So many questions I would love to have the answer to before death - Life outside of Earth (belief and solid proof two different things), and how life began - how the Universe was created would be great, but I believe unlike life, knowing how the Universe was created is an impossibility.


*Sigh* I really hate not knowing and the chaos it causes me.

a reply to: MuonToGluon
Matter has a wonderful (almost miraculous) tendency to self-organise and form complex patterns. Self-replication actually happens with some non-living complex molecules. RNA seems to have been the key to abiogenesis, along with the complex chemistry and interaction of amino acids, lipids, and water .www.newscientist.com...

a reply to: wildespace

That is really neat!

I can understand all of that, but then I come to the road block inbetween of self assembling patterns to actual singular cell life itself.

It's the part missing in between I cannot form ideas or theories about. It starts to hurt my head when I can't figure it the hell out or even scratch a crazy theory on how.

Either way, if the assembling of those patterns lead to life somewhere with the very easily obtained ingrediants that it had that are everywhere in the Universe, life would most surely be wide spread.

Massive distance, RF waves being useless for long distance communication, humans being so young we have barely investigated other means of intercepting different types of communication technology etc

I'd be happy if we just find a tiny protocell or bacterium out there, I can die happy then.

a reply to: Soylent Green Is People

Very much agree. I lean towards life existing.

But yeah I need undeniable proof before I believe anything.
I love science above all else, but it amazing how much of it we take as fact is literally only educated guessing.

Be nice to have some neighbours, but I'm okay with us being alone too. Well if we go forth and seed the universe ourselves that is, but alas I don't see us doing that in my life time.

Too much stupid # on Earth taking priority unfortunately.

originally posted by: MuonToGluon
a reply to: wildespace
It's the part missing in between I cannot form ideas or theories about.

There's things like viruses, which are not living organisms at all but are just DNA or RNA wrapped in protein molecules, with the ability to replicate using living cells.

www.youtube.com...


On an even more primitive level, there are prions, which are misfolded protein molecules that self-replicate by corrupting other protein molecules.

The boundary between life and complex chemistry is blurred.

Feeling very insignificant.

That's a lot of dots.

a reply to: mtnshredder

Here. I created this game to make the vastness of space less depressing and lonely and more fun.
Once you find God you're never alone. Or so people tell me.

Funny how Hubble can take a clear picture of galaxies so far away but we cannot get two of the same photos of earth.
Think about it...
There is something hidden or being hidden about earth for a reason.
Deny ignorance..
We still do that around here right?

originally posted by: antmax21
Funny how Hubble can take a clear picture of galaxies so far away but we cannot get two of the same photos of earth.
Think about it...
There is something hidden or being hidden about earth for a reason.
Deny ignorance..
We still do that around here right?

What exactly do you mean by "two of the same photos of earth"? Same continents visible? Same cloud patterns? Same colour hues?

There's tons of great images from space missions, satellites, and the ISS.