Our Place in the Scheme of Things

[82Rigger]

If you know anyone who suffers the illusion of "self-importance", these pics should solve the problem!

All images are TO CORRECT SCALE.


The minor planets of our solar system.

EARTH is the largest of the minor planets.

[82Rigger]

Let's add the major planets of our system, JUPITER, SATURN, URANUS, and NEPTUNE...

[82Rigger]

Our SUN is added now, in correct scale.

As a star, our sun is classified as a "yellow dwarf".

[82Rigger]

SIRIUS is a white main sequence star in the constellation Canis Major (The Great Bear).

POLLUX is a "yellow giant" in the constellation Gemini (The Twins).

ARCTURUS is a "red giant" in the constellation Bootes.

[82Rigger]

RIGEL is a "white supergiant" in the constellation Orion.

ALDEBERAN is a "red supergiant" in the constellation Taurus (The Bull).

BETELGEUSE is a "red supergiant" in Orion.

ANTARES is a "red supergiant" in Scorpius

If Antares were at the center of our solar system, its surface would extend out past the orbit of Mars.

Kinda puts a different perspective on things, don't it?

[melody1181]

Very intresting!

[frisco-kid]

And the space that it all occupies is mind boggling huge. Infinately HUGE.

Good post, Steve.

[revwardoc]

Maybe Uranus is that big, but not mine.

[QM3steve]

Here's another thought. A light year is equivilant to about 5,897,000,000,000 miles.

A megalight-year is 1,000,000 lightyears

"Reflected sunlight from the moon takes 1.2 to 1.3 seconds to reach the Earths surface."

"Our galaxy is about 100,000 across."

The Andromeda Galaxy is 2.5 megalight-years away.

In that respect, there are stars in other galaxies that may have burned out already and based on the speed of light, (186,282.397 miles per second) we wouldn't know it in our lifetime.

[39mto39g]

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