I grew up on a farm in a rural community in the SE corner of Washington State. Trips to big cities were very exciting for me as a youngster. The vast urban sprawl, gargantuan shopping centers, towering skyscrapers, people and cars like ants everywhere jolted my small-town concept of life. They told me there was a whole lot more to this world than what I had seen from the vistas of our apple orchard. Imagine that!

Since then, I’ve been out in that world and explored a bit of its diversity. The sights to see, people to meet, and places to go are immense indeed, far more than I could ever hope to take in over a few decades.

I haven’t been able to determine the source of the below pictures, but a reader sent them to me to illustrate how much bigger the universe is than we typically realize.

Here’s a picture of earth relative to a few sister planets.

If you think earth is very large, though, you have a lot to learn. Take a look at the next posting for an eye-opener…