I stared into the Total Perspective Vortex and survived!
Here is a great video showing the extent of the universe as we have observed it so far:
“The Known Universe takes viewers from the Himalayas through our atmosphere and the inky black of space to the afterglow of the Big Bang. Every star, planet, and quasar seen in the film is possible because of the world’s most complete four-dimensional map of the universe, the Digital Universe Atlas that is maintained and updated by astrophysicists at the American Museum of Natural History.”
Apart from being a breathtaking video and tribute to the amazing work done by astronomers and astrophysicists around the world it made me think of the Total Perspective Vortex from The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.
“When you are put into the Vortex you are given just one momentary glimpse of the entire unimaginable infinity of creation, and somewhere in it a tiny little mark, a microscopic dot on a microscopic dot, which says, “You are here.”
An unfortunate side effect of being placed in the Total Perspective Vortex is that the shock of being shown just how infinitesimally small you are compared to the Universe annihilates your soul. Watch with care.
Thanks to @Rablenkov on Twitter for the heads up on the video.
