Explore the True Scale of the Observable Universe with This Interactive Map
Sometimes, when we look up at the night sky, we can’t help but feel small. The vastness of the universe is almost impossible to comprehend. But now, thanks to an incredible interactive graphic, we can explore the true scale of our universe and gain a greater appreciation for our place within it.
The interactive map, titled ‘Scale of the Universe,’ was created by computer scientist Cary Huang. It allows users to zoom in and out, from the microscopic scale of bacteria to the cosmic scale of galaxies and superclusters. As we zoom out, we quickly realize just how small our planet is compared to the billions of others like it.
One of the most mind-boggling aspects of the universe is the sheer number of stars it contains. Our sun is just one of an estimated 70 septillion stars spread throughout the cosmos. To put that into perspective, there are more stars than there are grains of sand on all the beaches of the world.
But stars are just one part of the equation. The universe is also home to an astonishing number of galaxies. At its maximum flow, 100,000 cubic feet of water flows over Niagara Falls every second. If every galaxy were shrunk down to one foot, it would take 115 days for all of them to flow over the falls. And that’s not even taking into account the estimated 40 quintillion black holes or the 10 to the 25th power planets orbiting stars.
The scale of the universe is truly mind-boggling. Professor Rob Crittenden, a cosmologist from the University of Plymouth, admits that even he struggles to comprehend its vastness. He says, “Comprehending such massive scales is difficult, and probably depends on the individual. My understanding in the end is mostly mathematical.”
As we zoom out further, we begin to see just how small our solar system is in the grand scheme of things. The Earth, with its 7,917-mile diameter, quickly becomes insignificant as we realize the true distances between planets and even our moon. The moon, which seems so close, is actually 238,855 miles from Earth, more than 140 times further than the Earth’s diameter. And the distance from the Earth to the Sun is a massive 93 million miles.
But even our solar system is just a tiny part of the Milky Way Galaxy. Our galaxy contains between 100 and 400 billion stars, and it is estimated that there could be between 100-200 billion and two trillion galaxies in the universe. It’s a staggering number to comprehend.
So where could aliens be hiding? Based on what we know from Earth, there could be as many as ten thousand billion billion potentially habitable planets in the universe. The odds of intelligent life emerging on any of these planets are high, but the odds of them emerging at the same time as our civilization and being close enough to reach us are extremely low. This is known as the Fermi Paradox.
As we continue to zoom out, we see that our local group of galaxies is just a small neighborhood on the outskirts of a massive structure called the Virgo Supercluster. This supercluster is more than 110 million light-years across, and it is just one of about 10 million superclusters in the universe. These superclusters clump together with individual galaxies to form sheets and walls of matter called filaments.
But even these structures pale in comparison to the size of the observable universe. The observable universe has a horizon that is estimated to be 46.508 billion light-years across. Beyond this horizon, the universe is believed to be even larger, although we have no signs that it is finite.
Professor Crittenden explains, “The full Universe must be larger than this horizon, and we haven’t seen any indications that the Universe is finite; all we really know is that it is bigger than the part of it that we can see.”
The interactive map allows us to explore the true scale of the observable universe, from the microscopic to the cosmic. It’s a humbling experience that reminds us of just how small we are in the grand scheme of things. So next time you’re feeling overwhelmed in a big city, take a moment to look up at the night sky and remember that there is a whole universe out there waiting to be explored.