Skip to main content Accessibility help
×
Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-q99xh Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-26T22:31:05.922Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

18 - The Physical Universe

from Part V - Beyond the Milky Way

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  24 September 2020

Wallace Arthur
Affiliation:
National University of Ireland, Galway
Get access

Summary

Here, I consider our current view of the universe. I start with the Hubble Ultra-Deep Field, which shows about 10,000 galaxies in a tiny field of view. The whole of the observable universe contains over two trillion galaxies. I discuss two important principles regarding the nature of the universe and our place within it. The cosmological principle holds that the universe is homogeneous provided that we make comparisons at a high enough level of spatial scale. The Copernican principle maintains that our position within the universe is not central. We are certainly not central in the solar system or the galaxy; whether we are central in the universe is a tougher question to grapple with. We are at the centre of our own observable universe, but by definition any other observer is at the centre of theirs. We then turn from seeing galaxies in general to seeing individual events. These include long-known phenomena such as the Crab Nebula, which was produced by a supernova explosion. They also include more recently observed events such as collisions of neutron stars. We end by looking at the relative power of radio signals produced by biological and non-biological sources.

Type
Chapter
Information
The Biological Universe
Life in the Milky Way and Beyond
, pp. 285 - 299
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2020

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Save book to Kindle

To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure no-reply@cambridge.org is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.

Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.

Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.

  • The Physical Universe
  • Wallace Arthur, National University of Ireland, Galway
  • Book: The Biological Universe
  • Online publication: 24 September 2020
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108873154.024
Available formats
×

Save book to Dropbox

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.

  • The Physical Universe
  • Wallace Arthur, National University of Ireland, Galway
  • Book: The Biological Universe
  • Online publication: 24 September 2020
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108873154.024
Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

  • The Physical Universe
  • Wallace Arthur, National University of Ireland, Galway
  • Book: The Biological Universe
  • Online publication: 24 September 2020
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108873154.024
Available formats
×