Nice visualisation, but the explanations contain a bunch of mistakes. The cosmic microwave background is not "the first flash of radiation" after the big bang (which would've been much earlier), it is the "wall" of <i>last</i> scattering before the universe became transparent enough. And its distance is also not limited by light travel distance within the age of the universe (13.7Gly) but by its rate of expansion, resulting in an actual distance closer to 40Gly.
I'm an atheist, but in place of spiritualism I have the mysteries of the universe.<p>Is the universe infinite? It appears to be based on existing evidence. And if not infinite, then being geometrically flat makes it unthinkably vast multiplied by unthinkably vast.<p>How did the universe even start? And how can that question make any sense at all without time? How can there be "before the beginning of the universe" when "before" is not a concept that exists?<p>Fabulous questions to ponder.
I know I should be amazed by this, but whenever something like this pops up I get just a little bit sombre. With everything humans have accomplished, it still seems absolutely miniscule when looking at the scale of everything out there. More so, there's a sense of loneliness. Yes we have each other, but beyond that? We're all we've got for now, maybe ever. I just wish I could live long enough to know.
Explain it to me like I'm five:<p>Why can we only see 90° of the sky?<p>I look at the map at the bottom of the page and wonder why it isn't a circle. I'm obviously missing a key concept.
I always appreciate content like this which is easy to digest but still inspires awe in the universe around us.<p>Scrolling around the map and looking further and further back in time reminded me of this Kurzgesagt video [0]. It's crazy to think how much of the universe is lost to and unreachable by us.<p>Kurzgesagt has a lot of great content (even if it's a bit cartoonish). I'm sure they get things wrong, but I feel like they make an effort to research the topic first.<p>[0] <a href="https://youtu.be/uzkD5SeuwzM" rel="nofollow">https://youtu.be/uzkD5SeuwzM</a>
Reminds me of <a href="https://hitchhikers.fandom.com/wiki/Total_Perspective_Vortex" rel="nofollow">https://hitchhikers.fandom.com/wiki/Total_Perspective_Vortex</a>
Until we have discovered how to travel instantly through time and space all of our models of the universe are surely off target. Why do we think that the physics of matter are the same everywhere as if our solar system represents the benchmark of everything that exists everywhere? The possibilities of interacting systems of physics could be present in the entirety of space? What we are able to perceive from our vantage point is indeed inestimably small in face of what actually exists out there.
> Beyond this distance, galaxies are harder to see. However, we can still see quasars. They are much brighter and bluer.<p>But don't we have pictures of galaxies going back to the earliest universe? I thought that JWST is specifically made to image them.
I am a bit disappointed that they didn't mark where the alien civilizations are currently living.<p>Also add-on feature would be nice to find some tribes on the map that have either "scrolls of ancient wisdom" or a good chance of a "an advanced tribe" I'm less interested in the "valuable metal deposits worth 50" but that's far better than "unleashed a horde of barbarians!" but I guess it's a gamble for every tribe you find.