Things are generally as big as we expect them to be .
Wait, scratch that — in actuality, things come in a surprising range of sizes, from the very big to the very small . Most of us stand somewhere in the five- to six-foot range, which gives us certain expectations of scale. But when things get big, they can positively dwarf us.
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“Now that’s a bolt.”
I thought the bolts I used to install my TV wall mount were pretty beefy, but things evidently get a good bit bigger. I can’t even imagine what these might be used for. Building a bridge, maybe?
“Radio system of the Soviet era.”
There’s a certain aesthetic to Soviet-era construction. Things are often oversized and plain, and can take on an abandoned, dilapidated look after a few decades. This radio array is so massive it literally disappears into the haze.
“Sleeps 12.”
Oh, you thought a king bed was as big as things got? Think again. There’s a wide range of bigger-than-king beds , including a Wyoming king, a Texas king, and an Alaskan king.
That said, I think this bed is bigger than any of them.
“Botanical Park of Rio de Janeiro Brazil. Founded in 1808, it is considered one of the most important in the world.”
Perhaps the most impressive thing about Rio’s Botanical Garden isn’t the scale of the flora, it’s the fact that something like this is located in the heart of a major city.
“A farmer in Michigan found a woolly mammoth skull buried in his field.”
The skull alone would be an impressive size, as it’s basically the size of a person already. But factor in those gigantic tusks and the overall impression is one of a cartoonishly big beast.
“The sheer size of the Pacific.”
All of the world’s oceans are big, but the Pacific is on another level. This imagery shows us that, from a certain angle, the Pacific fills up nearly half of the Earth’s surface.
“Radioteleskop Effelsberg in Germany, 100 meters in diameter.”
There are some big, big telescopes in the world, and the Effelsberg telescope isn’t quite the biggest (although it was the largest fully steerable radio telescope for nearly three decades). Still, the scale will never not be impressive.
“Giant active ship propeller compared to a diver.”
The fear of deep bodies of water and what they contain is known as thalassophobia. Pictures like this, in which an ordinary ship looks more like a menacing sea monster, certainly help feed the fear.
“The great sequoias.”
It’s always cool to see a big tree that’s been growing for a hundred years or more. But giant sequoias, many of which are thousands of years old, are on another level entirely. These are things that absolutely need to be preserved.
“The Golden Gate Bridge in fog.”
Is it really a trip to San Francisco if you don’t see the Golden Gate Bridge’s massive towers disappearing into the fog? There are bigger suspension bridges out there, but the Golden Gate may be the most iconic.
“Working on the biggest pylon on earth, 385 meter tall steel structure.”
If you’re keeping score at home, 385 meters is about 1,263 feet, which means these workers are doing their job nearly a quarter of a mile up in the air.
“Sun compared to Earth.”
We all know the sun is bigger than our puny planet, but just how big? It’s so big that solar flares dwarf the size of Earth. In fact, 1.3 million of our planets could fit inside the sun.
“Just a frozen waterfall.”
At first, this looks like a small drip of water that’s become frozen. How big could it be, maybe a few feet tall? Then, you notice the fact that a full-sized person is completely dwarfed by it.
“Empire State Building – 1930s.”
The Empire State Building has been one of the tallest buildings in New York (and at times, the tallest) ever since it was built. Nowadays, it blends into Manhattan’s cityscape. But back when it was built, it was on a positively different scale from most of the surrounding buildings.
“Largest salt mine in Europe.”
Mines have a way of getting bigger and bigger as more resources are extracted from them. In fact, they get so big that the interiors can dwarf your typical cathedral. This mine , in Slănic, Romania, is a popular destination not just for its size, but also for the supposed healing properties of the salt within.
“The eruption of Mount St. Helens.”
It’s difficult to overstate just how massive the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens was. The eruption permanently altered the landscape, killing trees and wildlife, and even changing the shape of the mountain itself.
“Whale spine.”
Dogs get excited about virtually any bone they see, so I’d imagine this pupper is going into overdrive after discovering a gigantic, ancient whale spine. It’s probably a little too big to play fetch with, but it’s definitely worth a sniff or two.
“Let’s test your fear of big spaces! This dome puts things in perspective.”
There are plenty of domed stadiums in the world, but somehow, the structure of the stadium kind of makes the dome seem less massive. But when you see one of these big domes without grandstands or any other structure, you can appreciate just how big they are.
“Ponte City Apartments in Johannesburg, South Africa. The tallest residential building on the African continent.”
Ponte City is an iconic part of Johannesburg’s skyline, dwarfing the surrounding buildings and featuring a unique cylindrical design. Sure, the view just looks into other, identical apartments — but it’s still a unique idea.
“Now imagine the Titanic.”
Sometimes, I take exception to the way these photos are captioned on Reddit. This caption implies that the Titanic was way bigger than this. In reality, Titanic was just shy of 883 feet long and 93 feet across. This ship, the MS Zaandam , is a little bit shorter at 778 feet long, but a fair bit wider at 106 feet across.
