The Partial Perspective Viewer

will help you find your place in the universe (with a very fond wink at the shade of Douglas Adams):
This applet knows where some things in the universe are, and will display their locations in 3D. You may change the orientation by dragging on the image: horizontal dragging rotates about the z axis, verticle dragging tilts the z axis. You may change the distance scales using the "Zoom In" and "Zoom Out" buttons below. The Milky Way Galaxy is identified at its center. Earth (representing the entire solar system) is drawn in green. Even though there is no "center" of the universe, Earth is drawn for convenience at the origin of the graph.

You need a Java-capable browser to be able to use the applets. If they do not work with your Windows system, download the Java VM (Virtual Machine) for your version of Windows at the download section at java.sun.com.
As you zoom out into the furthest reaches of the universe, you will notice a "dust" of unlabeled dots. Each dot is a cluster of galaxies, from the Abell Catalog. Some Abell clusters have been labeled, but most are not for the sake of clarity.


©2014, Kenneth R. Koehler. All Rights Reserved. This document may be freely reproduced provided that this copyright notice is included.

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