How big is our actual universe compared to the part
we can see (including all the astronomical instruments)?
If you really want a
headache (the good kind), take a long look at this "photo." No, this
is not a photo of the cosmic microwave background radiation. (Which you can
actually see for yourself if you change your television channel to one of the
"fuzzy" stations) Nor is it a collection of graphs of a cell
structure. So, instead of telling you what it isn't, how about I tell you what
it is? This is, well...
everything. Everything we can see and observe anyway. What you're looking at is
the "observable" universe. This particular map has a cellular
appearance due to how the galaxies tend to collect into vast sheets and super
clusters of stars that are surrounded by stunningly large voids in between
them. You and I and everything we've ever known are smack in the middle there,
along with our Local group, which is a part of the larger Virgo Supercluster.
