• SkyeStarfall@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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    1 month ago

    There’s about 4.6*10^46 molecules in the ocean. There are about 8.5*10^47 cubic meters in a cubic light-year

    Surprisingly close orders of magnitude

    For reference, the closest next star system is 4.25 light years away. The diameter of our Galaxy is about 105 700 light years, with a thickness of about 1000 light years (much less than the diameter, since our Galaxy lies on a plane)

    • mholiv@lemmy.world
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      1 month ago

      Huh. That’s crazy. And that’s just one cubic light year.

      Now if we multiply that cubic light year to match the volume of space we have a similar comparison. Infinite oceans to sift through for a single molecule.