Scale of the Universe

The Scale of the Universe explores how big (and how little) stuff is when compare to other stuff -- like, for example, how "a small glass table top to a human is a vast plane of strange smoothness to a dust mite."

The interactive flash animation uses the metric system of measurement, so a human is shown to be 1.7 meters which is 5.6 feet. You can see how this compares to the 3-meter lengthwise measurement of some of the largest Japanese Spider Crabs.

Each image not only contains measurements, but information that's written in a fun and engaging manner -- take the rafflesia, for instance. Measuring one meter across,

it's the largest single flower in the world. It can weight up to 10 kilograms [22 pounds], which is actually pretty heavy. The flower smells like rotting flesh to attract flies, which will pollinate it.

Take time to explore this NASA/Michigan Tech site. You'll find the Astronomy Picture of the Day on the homepage while the index page leads to information on colliding galaxies, dark matter and supernova remnants.

Cool!