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How small are we in the scale of the universe? - Alex Hofeldt

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TEDEd Animation

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In 1995, scientists pointed the Hubble Telescope at an area of the sky near the Big Dipper. The location was apparently empty, and the whole endeavor was risky – what, if anything, was going to show up? But what came back was nothing short of spectacular: an image of over 1,500 galaxies glimmering in a tiny sliver of the universe. Alex Hofeldt helps us understand the scale of this image.

It is thought that there are 200,000,000,000 galaxies in the universe today. All of them are made of the same elements, follow the same laws of physics, and are made up of the same structures as our galaxies, solar system, and you. Can this knowledge change how we think of ourselves in relation to other things in the universe?

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TED-Ed Animations feature the words and ideas of educators brought to life by professional animators. Are you an educator or animator interested in creating a TED-Ed Animation? Nominate yourself here »

Meet The Creators

  • Educator Alex Hofeldt
  • Director Yukai Du
  • Script Editor Mia Nacamulli
  • Animator Tom Matuszewski
  • Producer Tim Coates
  • Composer Tim Arndt
  • Associate Producer Jessica Ruby
  • Content Producer Gerta Xhelo
  • Editorial Producer Alex Rosenthal
  • Narrator Addison Anderson

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