The Universe is Infinitely Large and Getting Infinitely Larger

Reread that title and really think about it. After all infinite is really, really big and if infinite is getting bigger that is really, really, really BIG! Blows your mind right? I know that whenever I think about things like that I always walk away with a headache. Besides a headache, these trains of thought also leave me with a sense of awe about how incredibly large the universe is and how little and unimportant that makes me seem. You want to know why? Well, here goes.

The Earth has a circumference of 24,901 miles. The Earth is inside the solar system which is approximately 6 billion miles across. Feeling small yet? 

The solar system resides inside the Milky Way galaxy which is so big it has to be measured in light years. A light year is 587,849,981,000,000,000,000 miles. The Milky Way is 100,000 to 120,000 light years in diameter and contains 200 to 400 billion stars. Around the Milky Way are some 100 billion other galaxies!!! (Keep in mind that these numbers are only what we can see from Earth. There are probably lots more out there.) Now you should really feel small.

This is one 10 millionth of the night sky and all those spots are galaxies
Photo Courtesy of nasa.gov

As was previously mentioned the universe is getting infinitely larger. This means that as the universe expands we on Earth will see less and less of it. Future generations (a very long time from now) will look up in the sky and see absolutely nothing. You read that right. Absolutely. Nothing. 

Picture this: It’s a warm summer’s evening. You just had a barbecue with your family. You’re full and happy. The sun is just set so it is getting dark. You look up into the sky and see....nothing. Can you imagine that? Imagine how small and unimportant you would feel? Alone in the universe? 

But then you can look around you and see your family, your friends, and truly appreciate what you have. We can do the same thing with our multitudes of stars. Only when we look up into the sky, see all those stars, and take in the awe of the heavens can we really appreciate what we have here on Earth. 

To start off, we are alive. As far as we know we are the only ones alive in the universe. Then we can look around us and see the incredible people and places we are so lucky to have. I mean, just look around. The Earth is a magnificent place that is TOTALLY worth protecting. Think about the people who are most important in your life and remember how wonderful it is to have relationships with those around us. We are darn lucky to be human! So, let’s be happy to be who we are and never forget to fight for what we have because it is precious.