Fun website showing relative sizes of objects in the universe

[Argus Skyhawk]

Sorry if this has been posted before. My dad e-mailed me a link to an interesting web page. By moving the box back and forth on the horizontal bar, you can see the relative sizes of galaxies, planets, asteroids, the Eiffel Tower, quail eggs, blood cells, DNA strands, quarks, etc: Scale of the Universe

 

[Asbo Zaprudder]

I didn't know that the largest galaxy (IC 1101) is 5Mly across, wowza!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IC_1101

 

[KJbushway]

Cool website. Not bad music as well.

 

[trekkiedane]

^That was my only problem with that link -the horrible sounds that I can't even OFF!

On Nikon's Universcale you can shut off the music and sit back and enjoy the animation (or poke around in it and watch whatever part of it holds your interest).

 

[KJbushway]

Its a bit of a sensory overload. I made the mistake of taking it fast. It took me three times going through it to take everything in. That way I got used to the music.

 

[trekkiedane]

/.../ I got used to the music.

I have a problem with noise on a loop -I can't even watch Numb3rs because of that low-key noise that always loops during conversations

But after all it's just a minor inconvenience having to mute my browser

 

[Argus Skyhawk]

I usually browse the internet with the speakers turned off, so I didn't notice any music. Sorry if it was annoying.

 

[Saturn0660]

nice

 

[-Brett-]

Sorry if this has been posted before. My dad e-mailed me a link to an interesting web page. By moving the box back and forth on the horizontal bar, you can see the relative sizes of galaxies, planets, asteroids, the Eiffel Tower, quail eggs, blood cells, DNA strands, quarks, etc: Scale of the Universe

Music sounds familiar.

Ah, Spore. Such a great idea. Such terrible, terrible execution.

 

[Tiberius]

Very humbling.

 

[Trekker4747]

Well, looks like whomever made it made everything, poorly, in MSPaint and I believe I found a mistake in it, unless I'm misunderstanding something. The Oort Cloud is 50,000 AU away from the Sun, roughly a full light-year. This should make the diameter of our solar system around 2 light-years wide (considering it's 1 ly from the sun to the Oort cloud I take that as a "radius" doubling it to get the diameter.)

This graphic has the Oort cloud as being .15 light years in diameter. That doesn't strike me as correct.

And yeah the music is slightly annoying when you can't turn it off.

 

[Argus Skyhawk]

Music sounds familiar.

Ah, Spore. Such a great idea. Such terrible, terrible execution.

Are you saying the music is terrible, or the website?

...I believe I found a mistake in it, unless I'm misunderstanding something. The Oort Cloud is 50,000 AU away from the Sun, roughly a full light-year. This should make the diameter of our solar system around 2 light-years wide (considering it's 1 ly from the sun to the Oort cloud I take that as a "radius" doubling it to get the diameter.)

This graphic has the Oort cloud as being .15 light years in diameter. That doesn't strike me as correct.

Wikipedia agrees with you. It seems they got that one wrong.

 

[Trekker4747]

The Oort Cloud is between 5,000 and 100,000 AU away from the Sun.

Sez NASA

 

[Wanderlust]

Very neat ^^ thanks!

 

[Tiberius]

Music sounds familiar.

Ah, Spore. Such a great idea. Such terrible, terrible execution.

Are you saying the music is terrible, or the website?

I read it as Brett saying Spore was terrible...