Sizes of the universe

Sep 13, 2015 3:15 PM

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Hello everyone! Please read the descriptions.

Okay, everyone has seen this picture. The solarystem, and all of its large planetary bodies, set up next to eachother in scale, with the Red Arrow pointing to Earth.. But how large is the Sun really, when set up right next to Earth? And how large is the largest known star? Let's look.

Using Universe Simulator 2, I decided to show you guys the sheer scale of the giants in the universe. Note that the software may not be 100% scientifically accurate, allthough it does feature accurate sizes of planets and stars. Here, I put the Earth right next to the Sun.

Okay, the Sun is pretty big. We knew that already. But how big is it compared to one of the leading canditates of being the largest known star? Let's have a look at UY Scuti.

UY Scuti.

So I put the Sun directly next to UY Scuti, and immediately, you can see the Sun being dwarfed, not much unlike the Earth next to the Sun. Mind boggling.

Can you see the Sun?

Insane.

The Earth's sky if UY Scuti was our sun.

For my next visualization, I put Earth at a distance of about 1 AU from UY Scuti. 1 AU would be the distance that Earth is from the Sun, on average. Meaning, I replaced the Sun with UY Scuti and orbitted the Earth around it. This would be our view of the sky.

Looking to the left, out from the horizon. This is from the surface of Earth by the way.

Looking up.

And then, I put UY Scuti in our solar system, replacing the Sun with the giant. It immediately swallows planets Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, and Jupiter, including all of their orbits. Only Saturn, Uranus, Neptunus and Pluto survive the slaughter, though Saturn is nearly swallowed, too.

This would be Saturns new view. Saturns average distance from the sun is about 1,433,449,370 km. That's 891 million miles, or 9.6 AU. This far away, the sun is nothing but a speck in the sky, but UY Scuti swallows its entire view.

Insane? I think so.

TIL i cant look at sun continuously for 5 seconds even on my screen

10 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

UY Scuti sounds like a rapper name.

10 years ago | Likes 33 Dislikes 0

"Please read the descriptions" You're not the boss of me.

10 years ago | Likes 32 Dislikes 7

Swiggity swooty I'm comin for that scuti

10 years ago | Likes 655 Dislikes 5

Perfect response to this intellectual post. Haha. Updoot

10 years ago | Likes 9 Dislikes 0

This

9 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

You beat me to it, you clever little disaster, you.

10 years ago | Likes 31 Dislikes 1

All this, and still no banana for scale.

10 years ago | Likes 3 Dislikes 0

There was a banana actually in every frame but it was barely visible because of the scale of the images etc etc

10 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

Credit where its due, the photos are from the "game" Universe Sandbox^2

10 years ago | Likes 13 Dislikes 2

Not 100% sure, but 99% is pretty close

10 years ago | Likes 4 Dislikes 0

This is awesome, as a Redditer you'll never read this but +1 OP

10 years ago | Likes 143 Dislikes 7

As a herpetology lover +1

10 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

[deleted]

[deleted]

10 years ago (deleted Jun 11, 2016 12:33 PM) | Likes 0 Dislikes 0

?

10 years ago | Likes 13 Dislikes 2

how can space be real if our eyes aren't real

10 years ago | Likes 3 Dislikes 0

what do you mean? everyting is atoms and epmtiness btw, just a quantum soup man you're a REAL QUANTUM SOUP

10 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

I'm so glad there wasn't a dickbutt at the end....

10 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

This is terrifying

10 years ago | Likes 3 Dislikes 0

It's a small world after all

10 years ago | Likes 4 Dislikes 0

Holy shit I didn't think I was gonna learn actual science when I logged into imgur tonight...

10 years ago | Likes 5 Dislikes 1

Beam me up Scuti

10 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

It's getting hot in here.

10 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

Damn sun

10 years ago | Likes 364 Dislikes 3

And the magic genii in the sky is up there thinking only about the wellfare of Huckabee, Palen and the rest.

10 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

10 years ago | Likes 27 Dislikes 0

Where'd you find this?

10 years ago | Likes 12 Dislikes 0

10 years ago | Likes 43 Dislikes 0

-Slow clap-

10 years ago | Likes 4 Dislikes 0

You amazing person you

10 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

Carlos!

10 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

I'm so glad that ur anus survived and got not eaten...

10 years ago | Likes 5 Dislikes 0

10 years ago | Likes 20 Dislikes 0

it's only a scratch.

10 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

v

10 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

hehehe

10 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

is this from a movie?

10 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

Thank you both :)

10 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

Chronicles of Riddick

10 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

The solar winds would probably obliterate the remaining gas giants.

9 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

We're all on some insignificant blue dot floating in the universe.

10 years ago | Likes 4 Dislikes 0

you mean instead of pale?

10 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

Why is it insignificant? What make something significant? Maybe you actually ARE significant because you're in fact ALL THERE IS

10 years ago | Likes 3 Dislikes 0

Now simulate its supernova and give us an update.

10 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

I....don't know what to do with this information

10 years ago | Likes 12 Dislikes 2

The only thing I remember is that my anus survived the slaughter

10 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 1

You didn't maintain any of the other interesting facts? Oh well..

10 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

I dunno, marvel at how insignificant we are compared to the rest of the universe or something?

10 years ago | Likes 6 Dislikes 0

AGAIN, maybe marvel at how fucking significant you are bcause that SCUTY is actually YOU! you are part of it all so you ARE all there is

10 years ago | Likes 4 Dislikes 0

everyone seem to always say how insignificant they are when they read something about space, YOUR EGO - YES, your true self IS ALL THERE IS

10 years ago | Likes 3 Dislikes 0

I always up vote space.

10 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

Still not as big as OP's mom.

10 years ago | Likes 250 Dislikes 18

This joke start to become annoying...

10 years ago | Likes 7 Dislikes 5

10 years ago | Likes 29 Dislikes 1

10 years ago | Likes 4 Dislikes 0

10 years ago | Likes 9 Dislikes 0

Burn hotter than the core of UY Scuti

10 years ago | Likes 3 Dislikes 0

OP Momys Majoris

10 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

He didn't deserve this savagery

10 years ago | Likes 7 Dislikes 0

Such is the life of an OP in the wild.

10 years ago | Likes 4 Dislikes 0

On behalf of my fellow Arizonans, and probably a good number of Australians, could you not?

10 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

Thank god, my anus is safe.

10 years ago | Likes 4 Dislikes 0

Damn son

10 years ago | Likes 3 Dislikes 0

Sun*

10 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

10 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

Worth the watch

10 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

Jesus imagine the supernova from Scuti

10 years ago | Likes 12 Dislikes 0

DO IT!

10 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

It'll be kinda meh. It's only 7-10x the mass of our sun, there are plenty of far heavier stars, e.g. Eta Carinae.

10 years ago | Likes 6 Dislikes 1

Eta Carinae also known as "OH MY GOD KILL IT WITH FIRE! OH MY GOD IT IIISSS FIRE!!!"

10 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

It says something about the insanity of the universe that a star with 10x our sun's mass is "meh".

10 years ago | Likes 3 Dislikes 0

We, as a space faring species, have evolved to the point where some supernovae are described as "meh". Aka. "kinda cool, I guess"

10 years ago | Likes 11 Dislikes 0

It would be face-meltingly awesome to observe I'm sure but I guess he considered it not all that spectacular among potential supernovae.

10 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

Does anyone else get a bit freaked out by the size of the larger stars. I find their size incredibly overwhelming. It's a weird feeling.

10 years ago | Likes 18 Dislikes 0

There is a minimum size a star has to have in order to become a star and a maximum maintainable size. Everythin in between eventually exists

10 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

Anything to do with outer space and the ocean is always equally mind boggling, breathtaking, and ABSOLUTELY TERRIFYING.

10 years ago | Likes 3 Dislikes 0

slight speratic breathing, chest feeling weird and scared, shivers and feeling cold randomly plus over-thinking everything ismy weirdfeeling

10 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

I'm pretty sure I know what you mean, it's a hard feeling to describe.

10 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

I guess it's sort of like my fear of the deep sea. Unlikely to cause me many problems, but unknown and alarming at the same time

10 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

Bear in mind most of the star is EXTREMELY tenuous. Their average density is MUCH lower than air (at sea level).

10 years ago | Likes 4 Dislikes 0

The blackhole at the center of M87 Messier galaxy is estimated to have 6.6 bilion solar masses and event horizon larger than Neptune's orbit

10 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

The one associated with quasar H1821+643 has a mass of 30 Gigasuns. Its event horizon is 28 times the size of Pluto's orbit. (1/2)

10 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

The largest non-quasar one is I think in NGC 4889, and that's still 12 times larger than Pluto's orbit. But (2/3, miscounted)

10 years ago | Likes 3 Dislikes 0

here's why it shouldn't sound all that scary: https://youtu.be/7zgf0BEndko

10 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

yes, it's mindboggling. think about how you were born into all this here on Earth, so you r actually part of this all! You are the universe!

10 years ago | Likes 3 Dislikes 2

I read a saying, and I paraphrase, that mankind is the universe's means of observing and understanding itself.

10 years ago | Likes 4 Dislikes 0

TRUTH

10 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

Yeah, but I'm so small

10 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

who;s that 'I'm'? you see, it depends what you identify with

10 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

just think about it long enough, you'll realize. nothing new.

10 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

you're not your damn brain, or the mind, or a student, or engineer, it's all false identities of your EGO. you're the ALL THERE IS

10 years ago | Likes 3 Dislikes 1

It's getting real over here

10 years ago | Likes 3 Dislikes 0

Last time i checked Vy Canis Majoris was the biggest star, now it's on 8th place, AWESOME

10 years ago | Likes 148 Dislikes 0

Did not know that. Holy shit.

10 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

wow, I had no idea either.

10 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

This is news to me...and it's awesome.I didn't know it was passed up.Although I did hear about the recent discovery of the oldest galaxy yet

10 years ago | Likes 5 Dislikes 0

My latin is a little dead, but doesn't Canis Majoris mean "Big dog"?

10 years ago | Likes 34 Dislikes 1

Well the name of the star is actually Sirius, in the Canis Major constellation.

10 years ago | Likes 9 Dislikes 7

No it isn't... Sirius is a completely different star (binary in fact) that isn't particularly big compared to the Sun.

10 years ago | Likes 13 Dislikes 0

Canis Major = greater dog; Canis Majoris = of the grater dog. The former is the constellation's name, the latter is used to name its stars..

10 years ago | Likes 4 Dislikes 0

...so VY Canis Majoris is the star VY in the constelation Canis Major (the greater dog). Those are more systematic names, there's popular...

10 years ago | Likes 3 Dislikes 0

...names for most brightest stars (e.g. Sirius for α Canis Majoris). Scuti is the genitive of Scutum, the shield. UY Scuti is UY in Scutum.

10 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

Hehe.. he said scutum.

10 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0