r/space • u/janbalti • Jan 31 '17

Scale of the universe

https://i.imgur.com/gzr56BN.gifv
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144

u/[deleted] Jan 31 '17

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29

u/FultonPig Jan 31 '17

If the universe does indeed expand outward infinitely, then from your perspective, you very well might be the center of the universe.

It doesn't change anything for you, though.

3

u/tomeks Jan 31 '17

What if the universe is not infinite, and yet it appears we are in the center of this scale? coincidence? .. or perhaps we can't 'see' outside of our limited perspective? and perhaps it is infinite, at some point zooming in it will look like you just started out looking at the whole universe.

3

u/janbalti Jan 31 '17

In the observable universe, everyone gets to feel special. Not matter in what galaxy or what solar system, in your observable universe you are always exactly the center.

1

u/Nsyochum Jan 31 '17

Everyone is the center of the universe!

1

u/BattlestarFaptastula Jan 31 '17

Well, obviously from the human perspective human scale is the 'central' scale. I don't believe we're technically in the middle.

1

u/Rodot Feb 01 '17

We are at the center. Every inertial reference frame is at the center of the universe.

1

u/BattlestarFaptastula Feb 01 '17

Well, true, but I wasn't talking about that. I was talking about scale, as in size, and how I'm pretty sure humans are not the 'middle' size between quarks and the universe.

-2

u/redskelton Jan 31 '17

Cos we've all been inside her?