Why the Scale of the Universe Is Impossible to Comprehend

Every day we read, hear and speak about millions, billions and trillions: Instagram followers, the budget deficit, Jeff Bezos’ bank account… These figures are bandied about so frequently that they start to feel interchangeable.   

But did you know the difference between a million seconds and a trillion is more than THIRTY-ONE THOUSAND YEARS?  

The universe is unfathomably large, made up of unimaginably tiny parts, and whilst our brains have evolved to make sense of things we experience, we soon hit the limit of what we can comprehend. The scale of the universe becomes - as The Princess Bride’s Vizzini would say - “inconceivable!”  

That said, it’s important we try to wrap our minds around scale – at least where the millions, billions and trillions are concerned…