A GIF Shows Us The Size Of Hubble's Deep Field Image In Relation To The Sky
The concept of space is one that often is unimaginably difficult to put into scale. This is why this gif is particularly fascinating. It combines the farthest reach of humankind with the motion of context to put it all in perspective.
They pointed the Hubble telescope at this seemingly devoid area of space, and over a course of time, it rendered this image. The gif above puts it all into context on how small of a point in space that is from our perspective, and where they pointed it! Mind numbing, isn't it?
The Hubble Ultra-Deep Field (HUDF) is an image of a small region of space in the constellation Fornax, composited from Hubble Space Telescope data accumulated over a period from September 24, 2003, through to January 16, 2004. - Wikipedia
Not only that, this image is take a look back in time, particularly 13 billion years ago when the Universe was just 5% of what it is now! Light traveling from that point in time took that long to finally hit the lens of the Hubble when it captured this view.
Here's the image that showcases the incredible view:
The Hubble Ultra Deep Field from 2004 represents the deepest portrait of the visible universe ever achieved by humankind. Using the improved capabilities of the Advanced Camera for Surveys, the camera installed during the 2002 servicing mission, a new Deep Field was observed, in the constellation of Fornax (the Furnace).
It reveals some of the first galaxies to emerge from the "dark ages", the time shortly after the Big Bang when the first stars reheated the cold, dim universe.
The Ultra Deep Fields show the furthest away galaxies that can be observed in visible light. - Space Telescope
The patch of sky is less than 2 percent of the area of the full Moon as seen from Earth. The HUDF measures only one-seventeenth of a degree across, an angular size smaller than that of the largest impact basin on the Moon. - Amazing Space
And in case all this doesn't make you feel small enough, this link should do the trick.
