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# Powers of Ten

Let us explore our Universe from the very small (10-16) to the very large (1023):  From the micro world of atoms to the macro world of stars in the outer reaches of our Universe. During this journey, we begin to see similar shapes across macro and micro scales. For example, the shape of very distant, very large "spiral" galaxies resembles "hurricanes" here on Earth.

## For the Math Shy

$10 × 10 × 10 = 1,000$
A simpler way to write these numbers is called "scientific notation":

Count the zeros:

## Microscopes and Telescopes

Although the Universe is very, very big, its component parts are very, very small.Telescopes magnify and enhance the brightness of the very distant big stuff of our Universe, while microscopes magnify the smallest components of our Universe.

Side Note: One may ask, what is the difference between an astronomer and an astrophysicist?  An astronomer observes, while an astrophysicist explains what astronomers have observed. Throughout the millennia, astronomers observed and studied the heavens, but no one had answers to many standing issues, such as:  Is the Earth flat or spherical?  Is the Earth the center of the Universe or is our Sun just a medium-sized, quite ordinary, middle-aged star in a vast sea of innumerable other stars?  Although we have resolved these issues in the last few hundred years, we still have many more mysteries to explain, as well as discovering numerous new mysteries on which to study, ponder, and speculate.   RB