Of course I am a little different than most, I think of space when someone mentions big numbers. Remember back when the Hubble Space Telescope took its famous "deep field" picture. It had to be a very long exposure time to get a picture like this and could only be done from space. Why? Because the Earth rotates and ground based telescopes can only stay focused on an object or area for a limited length of time whereas from space, it can be infinite. Here is the old deep field picture:
Let's talk numbers. There are more than 10,000 galaxies visible in this photo alone. That alone boggles my mind but this picture was only a very tiny bit of the sky. So there must be hundreds of millions or billions or trillions or. . . of them. Each galaxy holds millions of stars. Most stars have planets and a small percentage of them could be conducive to life. There just has to be some form of life out there somewhere. What do you think? The trouble is, the distances are just way too great to ever find out. Now, you all have a great day, it is Friday you know.
Large Numbers? Does 71 qualify? When I was young that seemed like a large number... When we left Ohio the speed limit on most roads was 60 mph... out west, 75 or 80 sure seemed like a large number. When I check out at the grocery and the total is in the triple digits I don't even blink these days. Guess thinking about numbers is all in what we're thinking about, huh? In a few months, maybe I'll be thinking 72 is a large number, or maybe I'll be thinking it's really pretty insignificant when I have so much left to do ;-) PS... I don't even think about the national debt but I do think about the millions of stars in the sky.
ReplyDeleteI think our government is trying to rack up as much dollar debt as the number of stars out there, don't you think? Scary.
ReplyDeleteThe Odd Essay, Yes, 71 qualifies since I will not be 71 until next Valentine's Day. Thinking about the national debt does get one depressed.
ReplyDeleteJill, Yep, it will not be long now. And guess what, our children will have to pay it off.
I know this to be a fact (we know so little)me the least!
ReplyDeleteThere are so many things that are uncomprehensable to me.
DeleteThat debt amount is so big that I don't even know how to say it...
ReplyDeleteJust say "Dang" or "Wow". I think it starts out with 15 trillion.
DeleteAnd reporting in from the beleaguered nation of Britain, I can relate, in the currency here, your astronomical figures.
ReplyDeleteI shall just go stare at the heavens.
A good weekend to you, my human friend.
Penny the Jack Russell dog and modest internet superstar!
klahanie, glad you could relate to the colonies troubles (grin). From Muffin, Chang Le, and Gizzy, the Shih-Tzu trio from Cut and Shoot, Texas.
DeleteLottery numbers are about as far as I go with numbers. The government numbers, may as well be from another galaxy, who wrap their heads around trillions????
ReplyDeleteToo big for my poor head to get wrapped around!
ReplyDeleteBut it won't be too long before the numbers will be bigger than they are now!
Why don't everyone just help their country by paying up what they owe and everything will get back to normal again? This is where a good printing machine comes in handy :)
ReplyDeleteAs for life on other planets, I just can't imagine it myself. I think we're the only beings around. One day we just might find something that we'll regret and wish we had left it alone. Just like the films. :)
Jill, There just ain't enough fingers and toes in the U.S. to count that high.
ReplyDeleteH.J. Yep that is one thing that we can count on, I am afraid.
Rum-Punch Drunk, you are right on both accounts.
I don't think the US Federal Debt will ever be paid. It won't be too many years and it will have grown so large that it will be very difficult to even pay the annual interest.
ReplyDeleteBoy, you got that right. It is at that point where they might as well through their hands up and switch to the euro.
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