A sobering picture... The 'Pale Blue Dot'.

[JIM]

Thanks for the responses!

 

 

 

For the cynics who belittle the size aspect of the picture I just ask you to consider this...

 

 

 

Anyone and anything you've ever known, every concept of reality and every nuance, social or otherwise came in full from that tiny spec in that picture.

 

 

 

I think many people who have replied here have failed to grasp my reason for posting this picture and the Sagan excerpt :). I didn't post it to highlight our apparent insignificance, it's my opinion that size does not amount to importance.

 

 

 

This picture, to me, speaks of possibilities!

 

 

 

There is a potentially infinite number of worlds in the Universes (plural please!) with an infinite amount of possibilities. It is theoretically possible for anything to be possible!

 

 

 

Doesn't that make you think? :)

[Rebdragon]

and I still get sick from how cliché the topic is. But don't mind me, just an opinion given a post.

 

 

 

The universe is big! The possibilities are endless! Gag.

 

 

 

And no, it doesn't make me think. What's there to think about? All you really can do is go "gasp, look, tiny planet! Imfinite possibilities! I seriously can't get anywhere with this, but contrary to that fact it must be thought provoking!"

[JIM]

and I still get sick from how cliché the topic is. But don't mind me, just an opinion given a post.

 

 

 

The universe is big! The possibilities are endless! Gag.

 

 

 

Why do you feel the need to give your opinion twice?

 

 

 

So if the eternal nature of the universe is a cliche, what's ego-driven sarcasm?

[Rebdragon]

Coming from me, more interesting.

[JIM]

Obviously.

 

 

 

Enough said, IMO.

 

 

 

=D>

[Mr_Adam]

How long does it take to send that picture back to earth from over a billion miles away? What if the wave (what type?) gets obstructed?

 

 

 

How does the ship travel? What if something gets in its way?

[Zierro]

It just depends on how you look at things. If you want to look at things on a universal scale, we're insignificant. If you want to look at things on a molecular scale, we're the [cabbage]. 8-)

[mmmcannibalism]

It just depends on how you look at things. If you want to look at things on a universal scale, we're insignificant. If you want to look at things on a molecular scale, we're the [cabbage]. 8-)

 

 

 

siggied

 

 

 

I dont see how this is sobering, sure we are insignifgant on a universal scale but does that really make anything worth less then it already is?

[Lenticular_J]

For the cynics who belittle the size aspect of the picture I just ask you to consider this...

 

I don't find it cynical. I'm more along the lines of ... too busy to care, I guess. I got a whole bunch to do on this big ol' marble, and even though it's tiny in the grand scheme of things, I still have a lot to do before I put my mind to wondering.

 

 

 

Now, wandering, my mind can do. But I don't like to think of how big the universe is. Just too big.

[No_99_Melee]

Well all I can say is that if infinity exists and we can always pan out farther then why not just say "Here's a picture of our universe from 10^999999999999 lightyears away... so insignificant".

 

 

 

Honestly what makes things important? Isn't it just enough to have happiness in your own life? I understand this is a selfish motive, but that's everyone's goal. We don't do anything that we wouldn't do given a choice. Whether you're happy by being charitable or by being selfish. Nothing is more important to you than yourself.

[Giordano]

How long does it take to send that picture back to earth from over a billion miles away? What if the wave (what type?) gets obstructed?

 

 

 

How does the ship travel?

 

I don't know what frequency they send the waves at, but I'm sure they send more than one just in case. ;)

 

 

 

The Voyager just uses his momentum I think. Technically its going slower and slower by hitting the very scarce atoms in space, but at a rate we can't even monitor.

 

 

 

What if something gets in its way?

 

RIP Voyager. :lol:

[Sunny Earth]

Wow that's crazy. I really do find it difficult to comprehend how big the universe actually is. Thanks for posting this. :)

[pryomancer]

This is my favourite space image, probably my favourite photo. I've posted it before, but it really is awesome.

 

 

 

[hide=]See that blue speck on the left hand side, the most prominent one? Yeah, that's Earth. The big thing is Saturn, being illuminated by the Sun.

 

[/hide]

[rangeor]

I try and use the whole insignificance thing as a tool to cheer me up. Like, if I'm feeling sad, I'll realize how pointless it is and how pointless everything is and (hopefully) cheer up. Unfortunately when it doesn't work, it makes me even sadder :(

[Rebdragon]

I try and use the whole insignificance thing as a tool to cheer me up. Like, if I'm feeling sad, I'll realize how pointless it is and how pointless everything is and (hopefully) cheer up. Unfortunately when it doesn't work, it makes me even sadder

 

The thing is, it makes absolutely no sense whatsoever to think of something on the order of magnitude of a human in terms of an order of magnitude of, say, a galaxy.

 

 

 

All right, let me use a hypothetical to explain why thinking in terms of that Voyager image doesn't make sense. Say we use a common unit of measure, like a meter, and create a new length scale, properly dubbed a "stoopid". We give a stoopid an order of magnitude of 10000000000000000000000000 greater than that of a meter, maybe because we want to use it to measure distances between star systems or whatever. Moving on. So, by inversion of this difference in magnitude the meter would be .0000000000000000000000001 stoopids. Okay? Small number, right? If you were thinking purely in terms of stoopids then, could you give me an example of something that is about .0000000000000000000000000034543 stoopids long? Maybe after a minute or two you'd come to the conclusion that maybe a rabbit would fit the bill. But you'd have to actual pull out a piece of pencil and paper to do it- subconsciously, seeing a number with that many zero's in front of it makes a person go "oh, zero, whatevs."

 

 

 

THAT'S A PROBLEM. This ain't 2D world. Bunnies ain't zero feet tall.

 

 

 

INSIGNIFICANT =/= ZERO

 

 

 

 

 

There are always things way bigger than us, and always things way smaller than us. Trying to think in terms of anything but one's own level simply serves to either trivialize the matter (thinking in terms of galaxy), or overinflate it (thinking in terms of a proton). You CAN'T COMPREHEND at those levels, so why in God's name are you trying? To confuse yourself for the fun of it? Sheer boredom? No girlfriend? What?

[rangeor]

I try and use the whole insignificance thing as a tool to cheer me up. Like, if I'm feeling sad, I'll realize how pointless it is and how pointless everything is and (hopefully) cheer up. Unfortunately when it doesn't work, it makes me even sadder

 

The thing is, it makes absolutely no sense whatsoever to think of something on the order of magnitude of a human in terms of an order of magnitude of, say, a galaxy.

 

 

 

All right, let me use a hypothetical to explain why thinking in terms of that Voyager image doesn't make sense. Say we use a common unit of measure, like a meter, and create a new length scale, properly dubbed a "stoopid". We give a stoopid an order of magnitude of 10000000000000000000000000 greater than that of a meter, maybe because we want to use it to measure distances between star systems or whatever. Moving on. So, by inversion of this difference in magnitude the meter would be .0000000000000000000000001 stoopids. Okay? Small number, right? If you were thinking purely in terms of stoopids then, could you give me an example of something that is about .0000000000000000000000000034543 stoopids long? Maybe after a minute or two you'd come to the conclusion that maybe a rabbit would fit the bill. But you'd have to actual pull out a piece of pencil and paper to do it- subconsciously, seeing a number with that many zero's in front of it makes a person go "oh, zero, whatevs."

 

 

 

THAT'S A PROBLEM. This ain't 2D world. Bunnies ain't zero feet tall.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There are always things way bigger than us, and always things way smaller than us. Trying to think in terms of anything but one's own level simply serves to either trivialize the matter (thinking in terms of galaxy), or overinflate it (thinking in terms of a proton). You CAN'T COMPREHEND at those levels, so why in God's name are you trying? To confuse yourself for the fun of it? Sheer boredom? No girlfriend? What?

 

I think you're missing my point. I'm not trying to comprehend anything, I'm just reminding myself how pointless it is to worry about anything in the first place.

[toast647]

That's crazy...

[Rebdragon]

I think you're missing my point. I'm not trying to comprehend anything, I'm just reminding myself how pointless it is to worry about anything in the first place.

 

Don't mind anything beyond the first line in regards to your post. I know that you're tring to destroy your comprehension, and I was just making a general point off that for the thread.

 

 

 

That is, the very act of you not trying to comprehend is what makes something appear pointless. So the post is kind of a response to you I suppose, but I wouldn't put that much effort in just to respond to you, so it's a general response.

[dusqi]

I find the responses in this thread interesting. Why do some people see the image and feel relaxed, because they feel that their cares are insignificant - whereas other people see the image and feel depressed, because they feel that they are insignificant?

 

 

 

More on topic, this reminds me of the fact that we're made up of atoms that were all fused in the centre of stars (again, I find this knowledge beautiful, but I imagine that other people will have a negative take on it... probably something to do with star waste or something).

[Cha0sx]

We ARE important. We are the most intelligent beings found so far in this known universe, and we continue to grow and gain knowledge exponentially.

[rushrock]

There are a million ways to think about life. You can concern yourself with the world of the actual world, and only think about issues regarding human life and issues, or you can think of the grand scheme of things, which could concern space or life in general. You will probably think of the latter until your head hurts, and you might not even get anywhere, as you'll think that while possibilities are endless, you don't have the means to achieve any of them. I will say, however, that the latter way of life, combined with good education and wits, will probably advance civilizations better than the former will.

 

 

 

I hope I didn't contradict myself. I guess the former really concerns more about human feelings and real staples of life than I mean to describe it (omg the car isn't backing out, things like that). The point is, thinking big might save humanity one day.

[dragoonson]

I can see Russia from here!No,not really.I find it highly improbable that we have travelled 4 billion miles in space in what?40 ish years?Of course my mental length conversion is horrible,but still,4 billion miles is a lot.

[Da_Latios]

I try and use the whole insignificance thing as a tool to cheer me up. Like, if I'm feeling sad, I'll realize how pointless it is and how pointless everything is and (hopefully) cheer up. Unfortunately when it doesn't work, it makes me even sadder :(

 

Here's one thing I always tell myself when I feel a bit depressed: No matter how bad you feel right now, there are people in the world with problems thousands of times bigger than yours.

[Piscis_Rex]

We ARE important. We are the most intelligent beings found so far in this known universe, and we continue to grow and gain knowledge exponentially.

 

 

 

Yes, we're the most intelligent beings found in this universe so far BY US, how can you possibly prove that there is not an alien race somewhere that is incredibly more intelligent than us, that have perhaps even already found us but just left us alone because of our immense stupidity?

[Dracion1]

A interesting video on Youtube I saw which shows you just how small we are compared to VY Canis Majoris, the largest star known to man. It's estimated that it would take light 8 hours to travel around its surface, and that if it was in our solar system it would reach as far as Saturn.

 

 

 

I34FNr_peUk

 

 

 

Anyway, given how many star there out there I'd say it's certain that there is life 'out there', even if isn't intelligent. The only problem is there may be no way of reaching it.