User:RLO1729/Universe

User • Talk • Thanks • Universe

The big picture ^{perspectives I find helpful while editing}

The Earth in the Observable Universe

• Where are we?

The Earth (diameter = 1)

→ The Earth in the inner solar system

→ The Sun (10²) in the solar system (10⁵)

→ The solar system amongst the closest stars in the Milky Way Galaxy (10¹⁴)

→ Its location in the Orion arm of the Milky Way Galaxy

→ The Milky Way Galaxy in the Local Group

→ The Local Group in the Virgo Supercluster as part of the larger Laniakea Supercluster (10¹⁸)

→ That supercluster amongst the nearest superclusters

→ The local superclusters barely visible in the centre of the observable Universe (10²⁰)

→ The Universe (10^?)

Our Milky Way Galaxy has 100 to 400 billion stars and at least 100 billion planets.

Our observable Universe has 200 billion to two trillion galaxies.

• Who are we?

We find that we live on an insignificant planet of a hum-drum star lost in a galaxy tucked away in some forgotten corner of a universe in which there are far more galaxies than people.

For small creatures such as we the vastness is bearable only through love. – Carl Sagan

• I would rather have questions that can't be answered than answers that can't be questioned. – Richard Feynman
• There is no substitute for knowledge. – William Edwards Deming
• You know less than you think. – Yuval Harari   ^{(note to self)}

Harari's 'secular ideals':

truth – based on observation and evidence

compassion – from a deep appreciation of suffering

equality – fundamentally suspicious of all a priori hierarchies

freedom – to think, investigate and experiment

courage – to admit ignorance and venture into the unknown

responsibility – for whatever we do, or don't do.

• Amsterdam Declaration  
• In der Beschränkung zeigt sich erst der Meister – Goethe
• χαλεπὰ τὰ καλά – ancient Greek aphorism
• History repeats itself. It has to. No one listens – Steve Turner

• "i before e except after c" has been disproved by science.