Defining Infinity, the Video

The video linked below tells a somewhat mind-blowing story about how scientists and astronomers rolled the dice and pointed the Hubble telescope to a tiny black point in space. That doesn't sound like such a big deal, but time on the Hubble is a huge prize for scientists, and very expensive.

We think we know about infinity, know that as humans we can't really get our minds around it, but now there's some evidence that simultaneously helps us understand it better and makes it even harder to conceive; that's what it does for me, anyway. I cannot grasp the concept of infinite, nor can the average human. The measures involved in these discoveries boggle the mind and make it even more amazing and daunting:
- The light that the Hubble captured left its source thirteen billion years ago
- The galaxies they discovered are as far a forty-seven billion light years away
- Over 10,000 galaxies appeared in a section of the "sky" described as "the size of a grain of sand held at arms length."
- There are over 100 billion (100,000,000,000) galaxies in the universe

The number of galaxies has to be an estimate because, if we're finding new ones and seeing farther into space, how can we really know? And if the universe is infinite, how can we think we know? (And, no, I don't believe it's turtles all the way down.) Beyond that, how do we actually comprehend this? I don't know about you but trying to picture infinity in my head makes it hurt. The video helps, believe it or not, and perhaps you might find some help in it, too.

As a Christian, thinking about the scale of these things amazes me even more. That the Father can do anything, and that the scale of the universe is so amazing, it affirms in my mind that there is a master plan and Master Planner.

The Hubble Ultra Deep Field in 3D