The Scale of the Universe

This is an impressive interactive graphic that let's you zoom far down to see parts of the universe on a quantum level or out to see the universe on a cosmic scale. You can see things like subatomic particles and electromagnetic waves if you zoom in far enough, and planets and nebulae if you zoom out. In between are bacteria, animals, monuments, and more. You can click on every object to read a short description. Click here to view the graphic.

The Universe

The Orion Nebula

In my opinion, there's nothing quite as breathtaking as looking at photos of space. The possibilities seem almost never-ending. There are countless planets, moons, and stars. The Milky Way galaxy alone contains approximately 300 billion stars, and there are countless other galaxies in the universe. Many more stars are being formed, particularly in places called stellar nurseries. A popular stellar nursery, appropriately called the Orion Nebula, is found in the constellation of Orion. Gases, such as hydrogen, and cosmic dust, or 'stardust', give the nebula its cloud-like look. To put it simply, a star is formed when hydrogen combines with other gases and '"collapses", due to its own gravity. The energy from this produces heat, which gives the star its hot, solid core. It goes on to collect even more dust and gas and eventually becomes what we know of as a star. All kinds of stars can be formed: short-lived stars with very hot cores, longer-lived stars with cooler cores, small stars, or even stars larger than Earth's sun, though it would take over 50 million years to form completely.

Knowing all this, how can any of us really be bored? The Universe is so expansive and interesting. Even if learning about space doesn't interest you, Earth alone is filled with so much knowledge that the average person knows nearly nothing about. I would greatly encourage you to seek out something that interests you. Even if it's just reading an article a day or taking a short class, you can increase your intelligence and sense of fulfilment in life. The world needs more people willing to learn and think outside of their daily lives. You don't have to be a genius to make the world a better place; you just have to be willing to learn.

Finding Yourself

Glass Bubble On Water

Traveling is a way of finding yourself.  No matter who you are with, and where you go, you find out many things about your surroundings, about people and places in general but most importantly, you find out things about yourself.  We must not be afraid to look at ourselves closely, even with a magnifying glass, if necessary.  Without learning who we truly are we can have no change for the better.  We will always stay the same.

Traveling shows us a way to get out of that rut, or the place you were before.  You can never be the same after you have traveled.  It seems the things that bother you the most in life are aggravated by travel, to the point where you MUST look them in the eye and deal with it.

Traveling even locally, in your neighborhood by means of other transportation besides your usual mode can invigorate you and can bring out things you must face in order to grow. It doesn't have to be about money, or going to a far exotic land.  Try taking a walk to the library or grocery store.  Walk, ride a bike or take the bus for a new view on life.

Traveling is humbling.  You are out there, vulnerable, possible prey to those who know the area better than you.  Surviving a trip, making it back home to a safe haven stirs up all sorts of adventurous feelings within your being.  It also creates a thankfulness in yourself for things familiar, things that are yours, things and people that belong to you.

We need to realize that we are all travelers.  We are ALL travelers on a journey called life.  Let us become good, faithful, helpful travelers bringing light to new faces and new places. Happy traveling my traveler friend!