A New View of the Universe

[Shade_Wilder]

Hello Fellow Space Junkies!

I came across an article on new ways to visualize the cosmos and thought that I'd share.

Maps have always fascinated me, and these drawings have been influential beyond belief in human history, something that continues today.

It is worth taking a minute and contemplating the value of a map. Imagine the value of one in the early human days in and around the Mediterranean Ocean; it'd have been a key to riches if one knew where to go and trade, and/or a key to survival if one knew where NOT to go. Fast forward; when Europeans traveled to the Americas and/or Asia in the early days, how many more of them would have returned if they had had a good map? How much wealth was secured by the simple process of knowing where you were going? Fast forward again to modern times; look at the mileage China has gotten out of its infamous "Nine Dash Line" map; they claim (arguably) the most important global sea lanes based on a simple piece of paper with a few scribbled lines and they might even get to keep it!

Damn!

The images above and below are from a 'Big Think ' article (link below) employs a very basic idea of increasing things by a factor of ten for each successive image to give a new way of visualizing things...

"...cosmically, logarithmic scales — where each multiplicative factor of “10” defines another mark on our cosmic ruler — serve us far better...".

The new method of imagining things in the universe may give a more accurate picture, but it also demonstrates just how small we are.

Hmm...

https://bigthink.com/starts-with-a-bang/logarithmic-view-universe/

 

 

 

 

Edited August 23, 2022 by Shade_Wilder
Photos- need a latte SAP!

[BigHewer]

1 hour ago, Shade_Wilder said:

The new method of imagining things in the universe may give a more accurate picture, but it also demonstrates just how small we are.

Hmm...

https://bigthink.com/starts-with-a-bang/logarithmic-view-universe/

Great visualization, mind-boggling scale. Voyager 1 has a long way to go!

[KaptainRob]

1 hour ago, BigHewer said:

Great visualization, mind-boggling scale. Voyager 1 has a long way to go!

Makes the 1st discoveries of Australia/NZ at ~400 years ago look like yesterday.

[Shade_Wilder]

1 hour ago, BigHewer said:

Great visualization, mind-boggling scale. Voyager 1 has a long way to go!

45 minutes ago, KaptainRob said:

Makes the 1st discoveries of Australia/NZ at ~400 years ago look like yesterday.

 

Morning Gentlemen!

There is another aspect in this new way of looking at the universe that you both have brought forth; how we humans react differently to information presented. BH went to Voyager and the edge of our solar system, KR went back in time to his homeland, and my reaction went to The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and the Total Perspective Vortex...

 

“The Total Perspective Vortex derives its picture of the whole Universe on the principle of extrapolated matter analyses. To explain — since every piece of matter in the Universe is in some way affected by every other piece of matter in the Universe, it is in theory possible to extrapolate the whole of creation — every sun, every planet, their orbits, their composition and their economic and social history from, say, one small piece of fairy cake. The man who invented the Total Perspective Vortex did so basically in order to annoy his wife.”

 

I have no empirical data to back this up as I can't be bothered to research it (I know it is out there), but humans learn and react in different ways depending on how new information is presented, and I wonder if this new map might trigger something in people who study the subject, or who influence people who study the subject. Anecdotally (The Plural of Anecdote is Data) I know that some will gain insight by looking at the numbers, some will get it through graphs and/or charts, others gain knowledge and hopefully insight through the utilization of Word Clouds, etc, etc, etc. 

Bringing all the above together, I wonder if presenting this map of the universe in this fashion might trigger some new insight into it all by humans, either directly by scientists who study it on a daily basis, or by laymen (and women) who might simply walk by it and see something no one else has seen, and that flash of human insight might be the most powerful force in the cosmos. 

The final fact I would add to it is simply this; never before in human history have we had so many educated people on the planet at the same time, and all it takes is one lucky glance to give humanity a whole new train of thought or insight which leads to great places or some new expression of artistic ability or to some unknown benefit.

I wonder if merely rearranging how we present data might lead to new/better interpretation of that data, and if we should be doing it more often. MUCH more often.

Okay, I need more coffee.

COFFEE! Maybe if we have coffee permanently on IV, we'd all be smarter.

Hmm....

 

[KaptainRob]

14 minutes ago, Shade_Wilder said:

Okay, I need more coffee.

You drink too much already   

The "~ vortex theory" has some parallels including 'six degrees of separation' and ...

Being earth (or ocean) bound I found the Chaos Theory fascinating - Can a Butterfly Flapping Its Wings Really Cause a Hurricane?

[Shade_Wilder]

2 hours ago, KaptainRob said:

You drink too much already   

The "~ vortex theory" has some parallels including 'six degrees of separation' and ...

Being earth (or ocean) bound I found the Chaos Theory fascinating - Can a Butterfly Flapping Its Wings Really Cause a Hurricane?

 

Cheers KR, I also find the Chaos Theory/Butterfly example fascinating. However, my point is a wee bit different. Whereas the Chaos theory argues that some things are possible from a certain starting point, my argument is that the starting point itself has changed and, if the starting point has changed/improved, then the potential outcomes have also changed/improved and favorable outcomes are more likely.

In the on-going discussion as to whether we as a species are doomed or not, I believe that we humans are going to think ourselves out of trouble. Er... maybe. Hopefully. Well, we might. It is possible.

My thinking goes like this; 500 years ago, there was a global population of approximately 461 million people (Google) with a literacy rate of approximately 11% (Google). The literacy rate is not a perfect method of judging intelligence by any means, but it is useful as a general indicator to give a general idea. In 2022, the Earth's population is about 8 billion people, our global literacy rate is approximately 86%, and the percent of people globally with at least a Bachelor's Degree is approximately 6.7% (all Google). In other words, our global population is much larger and much better educated than it was before, and all that brain power should add up to something. Further, another factor needs to be added to the mix; via cell phone and the Web, we have put most global knowledge into the hands of people everywhere. To sum up, we are smarter, or at least better educated, there are more smart brains out there, and those smart brains have unparalleled access to the world's knowledge.

Add it all up and I believe that we as a species have a much better chance of thinking our way out of trouble/generally enhancing our knowledge than ever before. However, in addition to all that increased brain-power, I think we also need to enhance our chances of actually using all that brain-power by presenting information in as many ways as possible to increase our chances of that information being used to our benefit.

As to your other point...

I'll give you my coffee when you pry it from my cold, dead hands.

 

[KaptainRob]

2 hours ago, Shade_Wilder said:

Add it all up and I believe that we as a species have a much better chance of thinking our way out of trouble/generally enhancing our knowledge than ever before. However, in addition to all that increased brain-power, I think we also need to enhance our chances of actually using all that brain-power by presenting information in as many ways as possible to increase our chances of that information being used to our benefit.

I certainly hope you are correct.  I've always looked forward with optimism though often with a degree of healthy fear.

2 points - one is that the Mayans, Aztecs, Romans, Khmers etc had a high degree of intelligence 1,000's of years ago yet mankind regressed and we still haven't figured out how the ancients performed some of their incredible engineering feats.

My big worry is we now see incredible GREED, Worldwide, and a dumbing-down of the population to gain greater control.    Mainstream media and perhaps to a greater degree, social media, are playing a major part in this as evidenced in current World shattering events - Covid lockdowns/vax, and now major weather events being used to further climate change political/financial goals.

As a species we don't learn from history and the genuine power brokers, big thinkers, or gurus, are difficult to recognise .... Gates, Musk, Putin, Biden, Xi .... everyone has their own agenda.

[BigHewer]

5 hours ago, Shade_Wilder said:

Further, another factor needs to be added to the mix; via cell phone and the Web, we have put most global knowledge into the hands of people everywhere. To sum up, we are smarter, or at least better educated, there are more smart brains out there, and those smart brains have unparalleled access to the world's knowledge.

 

What I ponder sometimes is how future generations will evaluate the human journey. What will be the key turning points? 

The development of spoken language, 80,000 years ago (nobody knows for sure), agriculture 10,000 years ago, the first cities 5,000 years ago, writing, printing, the telegraph, powered flight, TV, the Internet. Which of these will be evaluated as the turning points in the future?

There will be a time when we will be viewed as “ancients” with our quaint traditions and endless squabbles. Who are the visionaries of 2022, viewed retroactively in the year 3000?