How Do We Measure How Big the Universe Is?

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Since the time of the ancient Greeks, scientists have been constructing a cosmic measuring tape to measure the universe from our own backyard all the way to its ever-expanding edge: the cosmic distance ladder. In this video, we climb that ladder and explore how each rung has revealed something new and previously unthinkable about the universe we live in.

0:00 How far away are things?
1:05 Near, far, parallax that star
3:25 Island universes and Hubble's blinking star
5:51 Redshifted rainbows and the expanding universe
7:41 Supernovae and the end of everything
9:08 Conclusion: The ladder of discovery
10:00 I'm hosting a game show!

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Galaxies are red, galaxies are blue
Depending on their velocity
Relative to you!

NelsonBrown

My favourite part about the distance ladder concept is how simple (yet useful) it is! Last year in my final astrophysics course at university we were tasked with constructing a distance ladder (just as real astronomer had over the last ~100 years) using data from a simulated universe! Using parallax, variable stars and X-ray flash data my Universe was found to be CONTRACTING at an extremely fast rate (~5000 km/s/Mpc). This gave my theoretical Universe just 200 million years left before it would meet its ultimate demise. In the process of constructing the distance ladder, we learnt so much about the Universe (stellar classifications, galaxy types and cluster distribution throughout the Universe, we found SMBHs existed and disproved dark matter, assessed the homogeneity and isotropy of the Universe etc), much like the real history of astronomy you covered in this video!

All this to say that this video is great and the distance ladder concept is maybe the most fruitful tool ever developed in astronomy, literally unlocking the cosmos from Earth.

AstroKobi

Can we appreciate how using angles and equations people were able to find the distance of astronomical objects before modern tech?
It really speaks volumes to our human intelligence to find solutions to 'impossible' problems

BattlewarPenguin

"Hey, smart people"
Me:
Oh. Excuse me.
*clicks off*

zxzxzzxx

I learned about our universe expanding just over a year plus ago, and it still blows my mind thinking about it. Astronomy and astrophysics truly are cool.

xkumanekox

What a great video. You and your teams content is always such high quality

tannermcnabb

The Standard Candles would be a good band name.

AbbeyRoadkill

So much information in a single video, I am overwhelmed.

shisir_nayak

No joke, I was literally up at 3am this morning thinking about measurements in space. Perfect timing!

vinoveritas

I wish you'd go deeper into the topic. I almost felt nostalgic, you took me back to when first started watching PBS Space Time!

mouliasnestoras

I've recently learned that the universe will double in size in 10 billion years. The thing that blows my mind is the fact that 1 cm of space will also take 10 billion years to double in size.

bryandraughn

I once asked a little kid how far away the moon was and he said, "It's right there. I can see it."

jamesbusald

That example u used for standard candle was brilliant
I hope more science channel use such comprehensible example

yecto

👌👌amazing work, thank you "be smart" channel team...

nil

5:45 As a thinking human I understand what you mean, yet as I photographer say that the highlights in the area of both lights are blown and in this image there is no measurable difference.

KuruGDI