Hubble Ultra Deep Field : Humbling experience

This image you can see below is that of the Hubble Ultra Deep Field, taken over a period of 11 days in 2003. This image has around 10,000 galaxies in it. All points, smears and dots in this image is a galaxy. A galaxy has an average of a hundred billion stars in it. And it's impossible that not one of these billions of stars has a planet - with some form of life in it, Intelligent or not.

Makes you wonder about the real place of our planet in this vast and gigantic Universe that we live in.

It all started from this image taken 18 years ago. In 1995, the Hubble Deep Field was taken in a span of 10 days, targeting a very small patch of seemingly empty space in the night sky. Only to found out that small patch has 3,000 galaxies in it. Taken from that point when the Universe is still very young.

Here is the video I found on Youtube.

Contemplate that for a few minutes. Stare at this image of Ten thousand Galaxies. One trillion trillion stars. And an unimaginable number of planets. The human mind with all its power, could be humbled by the sheer vastness and endless spectacle.

I would strongly recommend to watch these videos.

Our Atomic Snapshots

It would be I should say, a dream of every Chemist or Science buff in general, maybe humanity's, to live in a world and in a century, where it seems, many unthinkable things in the past are now part of our real physical lives. This century saw the changes the way we communicate with the rise of the Cellular phone and the Internet. The rapid accelerating achievements in the world of Computing that made way for faster and more powerful Computers. Advances in Medicine is seeking to eliminate even the most vilest of all diseases. Engineering feats that helps in human progress. Human societies coming together for the first time, to talk, gather information, to plan for the future. 

But for me, no achievement would equal to that what happened a few days ago. When for the first time, humans were able to take an actual photo of an atom. Yes, you heard me right! The atom now has his own portrait. And what a glorious portrait that would be!

Here is a jpeg you can easily see online. 

From the website:

http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg21829194.900-smile-hydrogen-atom-youre-on-quantum-camera.html?full=true

How cool is that!

I am cosidering myself very lucky to have live in this age of wonder. 

Photo referrence:

http://www.techeblog.com/index.php/tech-gadget/scientists-photograph-the-inside-of-an-atom-for-the-first-time

Here is another interesting article. Molecules too are being photographed for the first time!

http://www.theverge.com/2013/5/31/4382606/berkeley-lab-hi-res-photograph-of-atoms-forming-covalent-bond