How Big?A LOOK AT THE SIZE OF THE UNIVERSE

Name some of the objects we have talked about…

How big are each of them. Lets put these into order from largest to smallest.

Are there any other items to add to the list?

The Universe

How big is the universe? Do we really know… Observable Universe

13.7 billion light years across. How do we know this?

Stellar parallax measurements and calculations based on red shift.

Galactic Clusters

Super Clusters Groups of Groups of galaxies

Some argue that these are the biggest things in the universe, but we know better!

Regular cluster A grouping of galaxies 100 billion times the volume of the Milky

Way

Super Cluster

We are part of the Virgo Super Cluster

This is BIG!!!! These groupings stick

together under their own gravitational attraction

Made of many smaller groups of Galaxies

Regular Galactic Clusters

We are a part of what we call “Local Group”

There are at least 28 galaxies in our local group.

Galaxies

Milky Way 100,000 Light years across and

10,000 light years thick This one is ours Spiral shaped

Other galaxies take on different shapes for many different reasons

Made of stars

Nebulas

In my estimation, some of the most beautiful things in the universe

Clouds of gas that are left after a star goes out

Gravity pulls some together from surrounding areas

Stars

Huge range in size and color From 1500 times the size of the

sun to only slightly larger than Jupiter

From dull brown all the way up to bright blue

Gas Planets Jupiter, Saturn, Neptune, Uranus Planets that orbit a star and are

made of mostly gas. Typically quite large compared

to Earth. Tend toward the outside of a

system

Rocky Planets Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars Smaller than the gas giants Surfaces hold at least some

atmosphere Made of solid materials

Moons

There are to many to name here. Suffice it to say that there are many and they are varied.

Comets and Asteroids Majority of our asteroids

are in the Asteroid belt. Small chunks of rock left

over from the formation of our Solar System

Comets- chunks of ice and dirt that orbit our Sun out into deep space.

Gas and Particulates