Earth vs the Largest known star

[Cheese]

Largest known star

This is a little animated image showing Earth vs the Largest known star, VY Canis Majoris.
Pretty cool...let it play through.

[worth]

Pretty amazing. Those giant stars must just burn through their life though. I'm glad we orbit our "small" sun and it's multi-billion year life cycle.

[foofighter15]

that was pretty cool. The last really puts it into perspective. Too bad they forgot Pluto

[MelBridgeman]

Originally Posted by foofighter15

that was pretty cool. The last really puts it into perspective. Too bad they forgot Pluto

i think pluto lost its planetary status did it not? or like anything in science that is still up for debate

[foofighter15]

oh no its not a planet anymore. To me it always will be though. Always....

[MelBridgeman]

i agree, once a planet always a planet

[llama64]

Not a fair match, but I'd be willing to put 20$ down on Earth pulling out the naked rear hold.

[REDVAN]

darn work fliters.

[Hack&Lube]

And just to point out how big our solar system and really the vastness of space is.

If our sun was as big as Canis Majoris...well it would only extend to the orbit of Saturn. That immense hypergiant you see there is only as big as the orbit of Saturn.

[underGRADFlame]

Wow that makes me feel small. It would take light 8 hours to travel around it!!! That F'n huge!!!

[evman150]

For those curious about the nomenclature, the reason the star is called "VY Canis Majoris" is that it is a variable star. All variable stars are denoted by either a single letter, two letters, or the letter "V" followed by a number. Hence V382 Carinae, VV Cephei, RR Lyrae etc. (interestingly, RR Lyrae is also the name of a sub-classification of variable star ).

And while saying that VY CMa only goes out to Saturn may be underwhelming to some, to me that is astounding. When you realize the r^3 dependence of volume, holy , something going out to Saturn isotropically is ridiculously big. Really, in one sense, there is nothing bigger we know in the universe. Space is just so empty. Even in a galaxy (not taking into account spaces between galaxies, let alone the voids) there is just so much empty space. So for a volume of space with a radius of 9 AU or whatever Saturn is to be filled with matter (although I imagine that it would be remarkably tenuous)...that is ridiculous.

To illustrate just how empty even "filled space" is, think about this. When M31 and our galaxy "collide" in a few billion years, odds are that no stars at all will collide. This is a collision of some trillion stars...and not one collision...it's remarkable, and should give one an idea of just how empty "filled" space is. Now just imagine how empty empty space is.

The universe really is remarkable and fascinating.

[The Fonz]

When I seen that, all I could think about was the ending from the first "Men In Black" movie. Where the galaxy keeps zooming out too the point where it shows it inside a little marble, and there's 2 huge aliens playing with it. That's how small I feel.

Earth is to the universe, like a single cell is to a human body.

[The Fonz]

Actually I lied when I said it was all I could think about. When I seen the name "Canis Majoris", there was a brief moment where the words "Labia Majora" ran thru my mind. Only for a few seconds though.

[4X4]

Thanks for that post evman. I never really thought of that. It basically is the biggest thing we know about. I guess all you new parents can finally answer the old childhood question of "whats the biggest thing in the universe daddy?"

[Hack&Lube]

Originally Posted by The Fonz

When I seen that, all I could think about was the ending from the first "Men In Black" movie. Where the galaxy keeps zooming out too the point where it shows it inside a little marble, and there's 2 huge aliens playing with it. That's how small I feel.

Earth is to the universe, like a single cell is to a human body.

That's totally off scale. If that were true, earth would be bigger than all the matter (and dark matter + more) in the universe put together.

Earth is to the universe, like the impossible infintecimal fraction of the quintessense of a quark of an atom existing in a quantum uncertainty of non-existence within the human body.

[The Fonz]

My bad

[Table 5]

I half expected to see Topanga when i came into this thread....

[Cheese]

The giff I posted is great, however for those who have never seen this I HIGHLY recommend watching this You Tube video...make sure you enlarge it to fit your full screen!! Watch the whole thing.....and enjoy.

The Hubble Deep Field

[4X4]

I'll watch it but if a witch jumps out 30 seconds in I'll never trust you again.

[Devils'Advocate]

There is a star that sounds like Beetlejuice?