The unimaginable vastness of the universe.

[Hugh]

Yeah, but then there's string theory...

Which I think is totally possible, in which case we, and the universe, have and share all the same extra dimensions together.

[taniwha]

I agree with the title of the thread and can use it in the way I think about the potential for life to exist elsewhere in the universe.

I just have to think about the Hubble Ultra Deep Field... 10,000 galaxies, that's galaxies folks, in an area of the sky equivalent to 1mm X 1 mm held 1 meter away, which is equal to roughly one thirteen-millionth of the total area of the sky, and each of those galaxies containing billions and billions of stars and planets, and that was what existed about 13 billions of years ago...

So you've got all those planets in all those correct goldilocks zones, and whatever other conditions you want to impose, and you add in the time for evolution to take place of let's say an average of 7 or so billion years on those planets, and you add in the factor of life finding a way to try and continue to exist even in extreme conditions, and it's extremely easy for me to think that we're not the only life in the universe.

I'd go further and say that it's also very easy for me to think that there are billions of planets out there with life much more technologically advanced than humans as well.

If we looked into the night sky and there were no other stars or galaxies, we might be forgiven for thinking we are alone. But as you point out thats not the case at all. The universe seems very very inviting to life. And it would take some sort of miracle beyond compare if we are the only ones.

[Frank Merton]

A model I have kinda in mind (I can't really say in mind because it is not picturable) is the "distance" between dimensions is like the distance between two adjacent irrational numbers on the number line. Since both numbers are represented to us as unending chains of digits, how can they be different, there being no last digit, yet the numbers still go on.

[Frank Merton]

If we looked into the night sky and there were no other stars or galaxies, we might be forgiven for thinking we are alone. But as you point out thats not the case at all. The universe seems very very inviting to life. And it would take some sort of miracle beyond compare if we are the only ones.

The universe is whatever it is, and we don't know. The rules of probability lead us to think we are probably not alone, but they don't guarantee it. We don't know from a single sample (us) what the chances really are.

[taniwha]

A few weak parts of the logic above.

First, life can be remarkably stubborn, but there are limits.

I thought some more and realise that the universe is unlimited with potential. The universe will create life regardless, that seems overwhelmingly to be its purpose. And of course it can even create beyond life, those dimensions we cant know or experience.

To have life ( or death ) all you need is a universe.

Edited June 19, 2014 by taniwha

[Hugh]

The universe is whatever it is, and we don't know. The rules of probability lead us to think we are probably not alone, but they don't guarantee it. We don't know from a single sample (us) what the chances really are.

I like to look at all the different forms of life here on Earth, and all the various extreme conditions and places that life exists here...

Check out some Extremophiles:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extremophile

[Mk10]

Let's see...what have I learned here?

1. Talking about the universe and deep space causes people to be naturally spacey. I like that about space.

2. Sometimes "However comments will be appreciated!"means <Napoleon Dynamite voice> "G-a-a-o-o-w-d! Just S-c-h-u-u-t-t Up!" </Napoleon Dynamite voice>

and...

Sometimes when you listen to people nit-pick you, even though you might be sitting at home staring at your screen going, "Shuh! What a jerk!," you usually learn something from it that you didn't know before, and it can keep you from being nit-picked by an instructor who takes points away from your grade while they're doing so.

Good discussion on everybody's part though. <sigh> Back to explaining thermonuclear and helium shell fusion in stars of varying masses and where they wind up on their journey around an H-R diagram.

My head hurts.

After that it's on to being able to talk intelligently about Black Holes by Friday, then a three-page homwork assignment, and then a test, and then...and then...BANG!...-thump-bump...

[Alan McDougall]

The distance to the moon from Earth is about 1.282 light seconds away... Considerably less than 2 light seconds away.

Approximation , approximation!

[shrooma]

Beyond imagination,

.

not beyond mine.....

.

[kartikg]

The universe is not infinite it had a beginning namely the "Big Bang" and will end in a cold dark death sometime in the unimaginably distant future.

Another reason why I say it is not infinite or eternal, because in such a universe the " Arrow of Time" would be pushed back into the infinite past and we would never have come into existence, if you don't get what I mean I will explain it in my next post!

I agree!

Can you explain a bit about the inertia and distant stars please.

[qunaquna]

On 6/18/2014 at 2:19 PM, Alan McDougall said:

You are right, there are many reason why we were lucky in life and us human coming into existence on our beautiful blue water world. I will just list a few.

1) Without our moon to stabilize the tilt of the earth, the earth would be barren ( You mentioned this and I give you credit for is inclusion).

2 ) The fact that water in one of the only two molecules that freeze on the surface instead of from the bottom like every other chemical. Without this vital property of water, life would never existed on earth , despite many other favorable conditions,

3) The ability of water mix with countless other substances.

4) Earths exact position of orbit around the sun , in the " Goldilocks Zone" just right, neither too hot or cold.

5 ) The precise exactitude of the fundamental laws or universal constants, that even if one differed in the minutest fraction we would not exist.

?

?

?

?

I will list more if you want me to , but look it up yourself!

But that only applies to the life as we know it. My point being, who knows what completely different conditions could give birth to. Just as we see how living organisms adapt to different conditions on Earth. 

It could be an evolutionary process spread across universe and life here is just one of many ways and paths it took to form.

But laws of physics are the same for all in this universe, they can't travel faster than light so we might be just as unreachable to them as they are to us, no matter how older and more advanced they might be. 

Maybe at some point in future we will stumble on someone or something as our spacecrafts gain some speed and we get a bit further than now. As of now, we've been to the moon and that's all, we can't just sit here and hope someone will come to us.

[Waspie_Dwarf]

@qunaquna you are replying to a topic that has been inactive for more than six years. Many of those that originally participated in the topic no longer visit the site.

Please try to reply to topics that are still active or have been inactive for a relatively short time, as there is no point resurrecting a long dead thread.

Thank you.

Closed.