Re: Similarities with molecular activity and the cosmic universe

Hello Carl,

There are lots of similarities between large-scale observable things in the Universe and the motions of molecules and atoms, but there are a lot of differences too. Electrons in atoms "orbit" a central nucleus, but they do not move in regular circular motions the way planets do, and the nucleus is very much different from a star. Stars radiate a lot of energy, and most nuclei do not. A nucleus is about 100000 times smaller than a typical atom, but the Sun is only a few thousand times smaller than the Solar System. Atoms and molecules form larger structures, and stars form larger structures (galaxies), but galaxies are held together only loosely, by gravity, and they contain 10's of billions of stars, while a typical cell might contain millions of billions of billions of atoms, and is held together much more tightly. I could list lots of other differences, but you get the idea. Our observable Universe could be part of some larger structure, but it's not just like anything we've observed on smaller scales.

I hope this answers your question. If not, you can email me at StevenLevin@we.mediaone.net or contact me through the Mad Scientist Network.