Size of a Galaxy - a video

[ChrisD]

I found this.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VsRmyY3Db1Y

An elegant depiction of the scale of the Milky Way Galaxy.

Enjoy.

Chris

[xelasnave]

Thanks Chris...a really decent production..

It should be compulsory viewing for everyone.

AND...I never thought about all the stars we see are just the Milky Way ..I suppose it is obvious but his turning out the lights had great impact.

alex

[Startrek]

Incredible video presentation, certainly opens your mind
Thanks for posting
Us amateur astronomers should thank our lucky stars ( pardon the pun ) that our Solar System is located at the outer regions of the Milky Way because if we were located near the Core , Scientists have suggested that our night sky would look something like a gigantic version of the core of Omega Centauri.Visual observing and Astro imaging would be virtually impossible due to the celestial density and brightness of the night sky.
Was Earth’s location for a reason ?
Interesting thought !!
I’m not complaining………

[ChrisD]

It has been theorised that galaxies do have Goldilocks zones. Two of the many fundamental requirements for intelligent life are the basic chemical elements for life to form and environmental stability for intelligence to evolve. Too far out from the core and there is too little star evolution to produce the elements needed for life. Too close to the core and there is too much radiation and gravitational effects from nearby stars for the 4 billion years of stability that we needed to evolve.

However, respectfully, this is just conjecture and there are many belief systems that have alternate and beautiful explanations as to why we are here.

So don't worry, it may be that all the intelligent species in the Milky Way will be similar distances from the core and see basically similar views of the galaxy as we do. They will all get to enjoy the pleasures of star gazing and astrophotography! :)

Chris

[csb]

I justed watched the video. Thanks for posting the link.

I always contemplate the distances and the size of objects when I look at the sky, via telescope or naked eye.

My favourite is thinking about the distances between stars in globular clusters. The stars appear tightly packed together, as seen in images, but average distances between neighbouring stars range from 0.3ly to 1ly.

Yes, very entertaining video presentation.

[scarecrow2012]

While not as good as the video, i thought this zoomable picture should be added to the post.
https://www.eso.org/public/images/eso1242a/zoomable/