/sci/ - Science & Math

[Anonymous No.11813215]

is the sun really this big?

[Anonymous No.11813216]

>>11813215
Yes.
Next question.

[Robert Burnham !BSR3pQb0Hk No.11813231]

>>11813215
The cosmological distances are so incomprehensibly large, I created a model to help you understand them. You've most certainly encountered my model before, one way or another, even if you've never heard of me.

In my model, sometimes referred to as the Burnham scale, a speck two-thousandths of a mm across representing the Earth lies one inch away from a speck of dust a hundredth of an inch across representing the Sun. The planet Mercury is four-tenths of an inch from the Sun, Venus nearly three-quarters of an inch, Mars at 1.6 inches, Jupiter at 5 inches, Saturn at just under 10 inches, Uranus at 19 inches, Neptune at 30 inches, and Pluto at 39.5 inches. One way of visualizing the Burnham scale is to stand with an outstretched arm; the tips of your fingers to the center of your body approximates the radial distance of Neptune or Pluto from the Sun.

Alpha Centauri is 4.5 lightyears away. On the Burnham scale, it's 4.5 miles away.

Since all stars in the Galaxy are several lightyears apart, with each represented by a speck of dust, each star in the Galaxy is separated from its neighbors by miles. They're practically isolated.

The span of the Milky Way Galaxy on this scale is about 100000 miles. It's enormously big compared with the Solar System: 6.336 billion inches vs 80 inches for the Solar System.

The nearest galaxy, Andromeda, is 2.5 million lightyears away. That's 2.5 million miles away on the Burnham scale.

Andromeda and the Milky Way are members of the Local Group of galaxies, which is itself is part of galaxy clusters - which are part of galaxy superclusters.

The model is fairly accurate, because there are 63360 inches in a mile and there are 63294 Astronomical Units in a lightyear.

While my model is well-known and often used to help illustrate the vast distances of the cosmos, it's a curious fact of the modern age that the people who believe gravity is the dominant force in the universe have never deeply engaged my model.

[Anonymous No.11813881]

>>11813231
>incomprehensibly large
I hate this phrase so much. Maybe I am autistic or just plain stupid, but I can imagine large empty spaces just fine. The problem is with displaying them on a piece of paper, such that midwits that don't understand logarithmic sclaes or broken axis get it.

[Anonymous No.11813890]

The sun is actually much larger than that. It would cover many billions or perhaps trillions of screens if actual size.

[Anonymous No.11813947]

>>11813890
i enjoy seeing thi skind of post on 4chan. it's the kidn of post i often like to make myself.

[Anonymous No.11813992]

>>11813231
"Your model" is something I might do on the back of an envelope and I wouldn't even think anything of it. Calling it the Burnham scale after yourself is extremely cringe. You haven't done anything new or original.

[Anonymous No.11814000]

>>11813992
Uh ohhhh somebody seems jelly lol

[Anonymous No.11814005]

My friends dick is bigger

[Anonymous No.11814041]

>>11813215
why the fuck didn't you read the wiki page?

[Anonymous No.11814211]

>>11813992
While the Burnham model is well-known and often used to help illustrate the vast distances of the cosmos in education and space documentaries, it's a curious fact of the modern age that the people who believe gravity is the dominant force in the universe have never deeply engaged Burnham model.

[Anonymous No.11814225]

>>11814211
>While the Burnham model is well-known
Sorry Robert, "Burnham model" doesn't appear anywhere in a Google search. All you did was multiply every distance by a fixed arbitrary number.

[Anonymous No.11814455]

>>11813215

[Anonymous No.11814489]

>>11813215
>sun
>>>/x/

[Anonymous No.11814924]

>>11813215

https://www.khanacademy.org/science/cosmology-and-astronomy/universe-scale-topic/scale-earth-galaxy-tutorial/v/scale-of-earth-and-sun

[Anonymous No.11816811]

>>11813215
Are the planets really that close together?

[Anonymous No.11817033]

>>11816811
The planets actually touch on occasion but humanity hasn't been around long enough for us to witness

[Anonymous No.11817124]

Nope, it’s only 7 miles across affixed to the sphere of the firmament

[Anonymous No.11817204]

>>11813890
Kek

[Anonymous No.11817221]

>>11817033
>actually touch
What?

[Anonymous No.11817410]

>>11817221
Planet X

[Anonymous No.11819614]

>>11813881
>I can imagine large empty spaces just fine
Then you're failing to comprehend it. This is how you know.

[Anonymous No.11819622]

>>11813215
Yes it's 99% of the solar system's mass. Next.

[Anonymous No.11819630]

>>11817033
>Planets can touch.

Clearly is talking about Earth and Yo Mama.

[Anonymous No.11819698]

>>11819614
No, I am not.