What Is The Most Astounding Fact About The Universe?

Forbes/Science ^ | 8 Apr, 2016 | Ethan Siegel

[MtnClimber]

Back in 2008, Time Magazine interviewed Neil de Grasse Tyson, and asked him, “What is the most astounding fact you can share with us about the Universe?” His answer was indeed a very good, true, and astounding fact about the Universe: that all the complex atoms that make up everything we know owe their origins to ancient, exploded stars, dating back billions of years. It’s a great fact, and it’s definitely on the short list of the most remarkable things we’ve learned about the Universe. But if I were to choose the single most astounding fact about the Universe, I’d want you to consider something else: something far more fundamental and profound. Consider that the Universe — with everything in it the way it is — didn’t have to be this way. It didn’t have to even be close. We could have had a Universe without trees, without mountains, without our skies and without oceans. We could have had a Universe without planets like Earth, or planets at all. We could have even had a Universe where nothing that we know of — no particles, forces or interactions — exists as it does right now.

[Alberta's Child]

The most amazing to me is the immense number of galaxies as shown in Wide Field surveys from the Hubble.

Some of those images are so awe-inspiring that they humble me in ways I can't even describe.

[PGR88]

That the universe is “fine-tuned” for the existence of life

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fine-tuned_Universe

[Starstruck]

Are we going to have that text crap problem again? Nooooo!

[rdl6989]

Sorry I couldn’t even read half of that one, lol.

[onedoug]

Public education.

[JSDude1]

The fact of God’s Grace through Jesus payment for our sins.

[Beowulf9]

Evidently the Forbes Universe will not accept Adblocker. Can’t get into warp drive. Unable to go to plaid.

Scotty can’t even beam me up.

[GrandJediMasterYoda]

What Is The Most Astounding Fact About The Universe?

That we would have a God so cruel as to create this.......

[GraceG]

The size of the universe itself is mind boggling...

[MtnClimber]

That we would have a God so cruel as to create this....... Well, there is that!

[softwarecreator]

That may be the most Disgusting Fact About the Universe!
That too!

[onedoug]

What Is The Most Astounding Fact About The Universe?

That God created it, and we're here!

[grey_whiskers]

“anthropomorphic principle” ...is that anything like the 2nd law of thermal documents?

[grey_whiskers]

I think the odds against our being in this particular universe are 1 in 1⁷²⁰. (See also the 2nd law of thermal documents.)

[grey_whiskers]

[screamingly funny and generally disrespectful comments deleted.]

[grey_whiskers]

Obviously a Sanders voter.

[grey_whiskers]

DON’T PANIC.

[catbertz]

I’ve read that some scientists now believe that the universe is far bigger than what we have observed so far.

[infool7]

Yes but I prefer, God spoke the Uni-Verse.

[ghosthost]

The most intriguing question to me, about the universe is— “Where is it?” Are we in a singularity? Are we on someone’s desk? Not just how did we get here, what are we made of, but fundamentally, where the hell is the universe?