The 12-Inch Beach Ball Universe - Long Description In this
model, light from the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) equals
the 12 inch diameter of the beach ball- the ball has a radius of
6 inches. This represents a 45.6 billion light year radius, or
13.7 billion light years in time. The distance is bigger than
the time because the light is being stretched as the fabric of
space expands. Within this ball the first stars can be found at
a 4 inch radius. Galaxies seen by the Hubble Telescope can be
found in approximately a 3 inch radius. The Milky Way Galaxy
covers a 0.000008 inch diameter at the center of the ball (equal
to about 750 atoms laid end to end). The earth is much smaller
than the smallest particle known, the quark, in this scale
model. CMB Light inside the sphere has already passed us by. CMB
Light outside the sphere has not yet reached us, but it is on
its way. Back to the Inflatable Universe activity page.