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The known universe 'i can see my house from up there!'

Dec 19, 2009#1

twitchmoss

Full map of the entire known universe. its BIG.

"The Known Universe takes viewers from the Himalayas through our atmosphere and the inky black of space to the afterglow of the Big Bang. Every star, planet, and quasar seen in the film is possible because of the world's most complete four-dimensional map of the universe, the Digital Universe Atlas that is maintained and updated by astrophysicists at the American Museum of Natural History."

Dec 19, 2009#2

Hailey Knight

That's amazing to think of, that the light speed would go from so far that we can still see light given off from the starting point, far away. The universe is incredible.

Also makes me feel like watching Superman, oddly.

Dec 19, 2009#3

David

As if I didn't feel small and insignificant enough today.

Dec 19, 2009#4

Chazwozel

escushion said:
That's amazing to think of, that the light speed would go from so far that we can still see light given off from the starting point, far away. The universe is incredible.

Also makes me feel like watching Superman, oddly.

Dec 19, 2009#5

Hailey Knight

Chazwozel;318087][quote=escushion said:
That's amazing to think of, that the light speed would go from so far that we can still see light given off from the starting point, far away. The universe is incredible.

Also makes me feel like watching Superman, oddly.

Well the reason for this effect is due to the speed of light being finite and that light is how information gathering works for us. It's not really a matter of the light being brilliant or anything, it's just that the light from that event is so far away that it requires 14 billion years to reach us, thus being information from 14 billion years ago.[/QUOTE]

Right, I knew that. But it amazes me that things work like that, where the time would go on and we still haven't caught up to the beginning. Even on a small-scale, it can be hard to grasp the lack of immediacy, like how you'll see something that makes a loud noise in the distance, but there's a tiny blip between seeing the event and hearing it. Or how anything happening out there in space, we don't see it with the naked eye until a long time later.

Dec 19, 2009#6

Chazwozel

escushion;318088][quote=Chazwozel;318087][quote=escushion said:
That's amazing to think of, that the light speed would go from so far that we can still see light given off from the starting point, far away. The universe is incredible.

Also makes me feel like watching Superman, oddly.

Well the reason for this effect is due to the speed of light being finite and that light is how information gathering works for us. It's not really a matter of the light being brilliant or anything, it's just that the light from that event is so far away that it requires 14 billion years to reach us, thus being information from 14 billion years ago.[/quote]

Right, I knew that. But it amazes me that things work like that, where the time would go on and we still haven't caught up to the beginning. Even on a small-scale, it can be hard to grasp the lack of immediacy, like how you'll see something that makes a loud noise in the distance, but there's a tiny blip between seeing the event and hearing it. Or how anything happening out there in space, we don't see it with the naked eye until a long time later.[/QUOTE]

"Fo Rizzle"

Dec 19, 2009#7

fade

Though the day may come when we come up with a more complete physical theory that includes some information that travels faster than light, or for which "travel" in a non-concept. The phenomenon may communicate instantly everywhere. Or even violate causality. It all within the conceivable realm, and plenty has been speculated.

Dec 19, 2009#8

Garbledina

Pssh, I could walk that. Half an hour, tops.

Dec 19, 2009#9

doomdragon6

I like this comment:

"Outside the realm of time is god?? First it was outside the atmosphere, now hes somewhere in space, now hes outside time? Seems like your god is just moving farther and farther away from you. Get over yourselves people, no one is going to save you, you're born you live the best that you can and then you die. "

It's an interesting thought. That the more we understand, the further people push God outside of what we know.

PERSONAL OPINION TIEM: Eventually people will realize that you can't keep pushing God outside of existence, and finally understand that there is no god, beyond a comfort for death.

Dec 19, 2009#10

Garbledina

Well, I am an atheist so I agree that God does not exist, but I disagree with the reasoning in that comment. It only makes sense that God exists outside of what we know and as we know more, we know that God must exist outside of all those things because God created everything.

I also don't think anyone's ever established that God existed 'somewhere in space'; in fact the Bible states something to the effect of all creation exists within the mind of God; which effectively puts God beyond everything, including time, and that idea would then be as old as the Bible.

On an on-topic note, and more seriously than my previous comment: That video is pretty awesome. I love things that show you the breadth of the universe.

Dec 19, 2009#11

Baerdog

That was an incredible video. Space is truly amazing and I really believe that it is where humanity's future lies.

Dec 19, 2009#12

Chazwozel

doomdragon6 said:
I like this comment:

"Outside the realm of time is god?? First it was outside the atmosphere, now hes somewhere in space, now hes outside time? Seems like your god is just moving farther and farther away from you. Get over yourselves people, no one is going to save you, you're born you live the best that you can and then you die. "

It's an interesting thought. That the more we understand, the further people push God outside of what we know.

PERSONAL OPINION TIEM: Eventually people will realize that you can't keep pushing God outside of existence, and finally understand that there is no god, beyond a comfort for death.

It's youtube. The comments section always becomes a religious nut vs. atheist nut warzone in space videos. Especially one's that contemplate our place in the universe.

Dec 19, 2009#13

ElJuski

"Just because we can read and write, and do a little math, doesn't mean we deserve to control the universe." ~Kurt Vonnegut.

Also, ughhh. Religious debate. I hate the idea of "pushing God out of existence with science" because our science is purely human science. Our monkey brains have gotten us far, but we don't know the whole story. It doesn't seem like "pushing" God away; more like, the more we know, the more you can still speculate.

I'm not religious, but I'm not necessarily atheist. I still believe there is much oh much to figure out.

Dec 19, 2009#14

Rob King

doomdragon6 said:
I like this comment:

"Outside the realm of time is god?? First it was outside the atmosphere, now hes somewhere in space, now hes outside time? Seems like your god is just moving farther and farther away from you. Get over yourselves people, no one is going to save you, you're born you live the best that you can and then you die. "

It's an interesting thought. That the more we understand, the further people push God outside of what we know.

PERSONAL OPINION TIEM: Eventually people will realize that you can't keep pushing God outside of existence, and finally understand that there is no god, beyond a comfort for death.

I would put it more like: "The more we understand, the more we realize how stupid it was to believe that God was so close."

Alternatively "It's turtles all the way down."

If we expect the next turtle to be the bottom, or expect to find God in the next step away from our human experience, we're being shortsighted. And it goes the other way too: if you expect God to be disproved in the next phase of our scientific advancement you're in trouble.

EDIT: and I completely forgot to mention that we've been talking about God being outside the realm of time for thousands of years. Augustine addressed it in the fourth freaking century for that matter. Someone asks "If God created the universe, then what was he doing before that?" Augustine slaps them upside the head and says "What do you mean before? Time is part of creation, so you're thinking small if you feel like that's a valid question."

As much as I hate the watchmaker-style analogies, it would be like a sentient wind-up toy wondering who wound up the watchmaker. The wind-up key is part of the design of the smaller being, but it doesn't mean that the toymaker needs one.

Dec 19, 2009#15