What are the smallest and the biggest things in our universe?

 Los Angeles seems like a big town to us. It has an area span of 502 square miles and houses around 4 million people. Now it is certainly dwarfed by “67 P”,on which we recently landed a probe.

This pale blue dot here has a circumference of around 25000 miles. Now each individual or even any species you ever encountered or probably ever will comes from this planet housing around 7 billion people and some 9 million species.

Now here we have the great red spot of jupiter and it’s size comparison to earth. It can easily swallow 2 to 3 earths and it would be an understatement that you be blown away by this storm,actually the entire planet would be blown.

Each single one of these solar flares has an energy comparable to about a million 100-megaton hydrogen bombs. Or 2 million “Tsar bombs” tested by russia.

This is the sun’s sphere of influence which is expected to last upto 10^ AU distance,which is truly staggering. Some scientists even believe that in order to completely go beyond this sphere we have to travel halfway to alpha centauri star system.

This is our sun compared to the largest star known to mankind till date. The image explains well….

This is the size comparisons of one of the largest black holes to date,with our solar system. It is luckily situated billions of light years away.

This largest galaxy has a mass of about 100 trillion stars. It is estimated to be 2 million light years from its core on both ends.

This is the laniakea supercluster housing about 100000 galaxies including our own “Milky Way”. And it’s not the largest known structure.

Now here is the real twister,everything we have ever seen or probably ever would is a part of the “Observable Universe”,which is a subset of true size of the universe!

Now the data tells us that the radius of a quark is about 43 billion billionth of a centimetre. That’s 200 times smaller than a proton’s radius which itself is about 60000 times smaller than hydrogen atom’s radius,which is 40 times smaller than radius of DNA double helix,which is about a million times smaller than a grain of sand.(if we don’t consider strings and branes!)

So there we are from smallest to largest structures in the universe. Of course these figures are temporary!!

(Source : futurism.com)

What are the most mysterious things about Indian temple?

 The Mystery of Sun Temples:

Why do we find so many Sun temples almost in a straight row and that too around 23 degrees North latitude?

Where are the Sun Temples in India?

Sun temples are famous in different parts of India. They have been built and venerated from time immemorial.

We have had Sun temples from Kashmir to Kanyakumari and from Afghanistan to Assam in the ancient Indian land of Bharatha, the most popular ones being Konark temple in Orissa, the Sun temple in Modhera and the Suryanarkovil in Kumbakonam among others which fall on the popular tourist circuits.

Sun Temple, Konark

Image Source: Wikipedia

Sun Temple, Modhera

Image Source: Wikipedia

The land of India today spans from 6.7 degrees North latitude to 37.1 degrees North latitude. In this wide span, we find a plethora of Sun temples, almost in a straight line around 23 degrees North latitude.

Save for a few such as Suryanarkovil near Kumbakonam in Tamil Nadu at 10.8 degrees North, the Konark Sun Temple in Orissa at 19.9 degrees North etc. most of the other renowned temples can be found around 23 degrees North. Some are in ruins, some are memories and some are still in use today.

• Suryanarayanaswamy temple at Arasavalli in Andhra Pradesh – 18.27 degrees
• Sun Temple at Somnath Patan near Veraval in Gujarat – 20.9 degrees
• Sun Temple at Madkheda near Tikamgadh, Madhya Pradesh – 22.9 degrees Sun Temple at Umri near Tikamgadh, Madhya Pradesh – 22.9 degrees
• Sun Temple at Kandaha, Bangaon, near Saharsa in Bihar – 23.0 degrees
• Harsiddhi temple at Ujjain – Harsiddhi – 23.09 degrees
• The famous Sun Temple at Modhera, near Ahmedabad, Gujarat – 23.5 degrees
• Kanthad Nath at Kanthkot near Rapar- 23.48 degrees
• Sun Temple at Dholavira – 23.89 degrees
• 8th Century Sun Temple in Chittorgarh Fort, destroyed in 14th century and rebuilt as Kali temple – 24.59 degrees
• Surya mandir, Deo, Aurangabad, Bihar, 85 kms from Gaya – 24.5 degrees
• Dakshinaarka Temple in Gaya – 24.7 degrees
• Uttaraka temple near the Uttara Maanas tank in Gaya – 24.7 degrees
• Gayaditya temple on the river Falgu in Gaya – 24.7 degrees
• Sun Temple at Jhaira Patan near Kota in Rajasthan: Ruins of an ancient temple – 25.1 degrees The Dwadasha Aditya temples and more in Kashi also called Varanasi – 25.2 degrees
• The Bhramanya Dev Temple at Unao in Madhya Pradesh, near Jhansi – 25.6 degrees
• Sri Surya Pahar, Sun Temple at Goalpara in Assam 26.0
• Sun Temple at Galta near Jaipur in Rajasthan – 26.5 degrees Sun temple in Morar at Gwalior – 26.2 degrees
• Sun Temple at Ranakpur near Udaipur in Rajasthan – 27.0 degrees Sun Temple near Almora in Uttarakhand – 29.37 degrees
• Sun Temple at Martand in Jammu and Kashmir 32.5 degrees

Not just these, the renowned sun temples of another Sun worshipping ancient civilization, namely Egypt, also has its sun temples at

• Abu Simbel – 22.6 degrees
• Karnak, Luxor – 25.43

Why do we find so many Sun temples almost in a straight row and that too around 23 degrees North latitude?

What did our ancestors know about the Sun that we do not, today?

What is the mystery behind this pattern?

23.5 degrees North latitude is the Tropic of Cancer.

As we have read in our school books, the Tropic of Cancer is the line up to which the sun moves North in its annual journey.

Sun at the Tropic Of Cancer on June 21

This movement of the sun between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn and its significance has already been discussed by us, in the Rishimukh magazine of January 2010 and April 2010.

The way of living of our ancestors was in harmony with the Cosmos. They conducted their life, the annual and daily activities in their lives, in sync with the flow and rhythm of seasons, Rthu. Their Dharma, way of living,was governed by the Dharma, way of operating,of the Cosmic Nature.

Hence they tracked the sun and other celestial bodies in the sky to read the skies and prepare themselves for the daily, annual and spiritual change that are bound to occur as our planet earth hurtles on its journey through space along with its parent, the Sun and its siblings , the other planets in the solar system.

Each of these temples was specially designed to receive the rays of the sun inside the sanctum sanctorum, garbha graha, and illuminate the idol with a natural glow, on special days, especially the period around Summer Solstice.

June, is thus the time to watch our Sun go to the northern most point in its path in the skies and marvel at the knowledge, the sagacity and the architectural skills of our ancestors, which has found expression in the form of these temples to the Sun all over India and has become one of the traditions of India. (Source)

What are some things every Indian should know?

 Lets Just start with a little example. Who knows this guy ??

I think everyone knows, right ?? Now, Who knows this guy ??

He is a 32 years old deaf wrestler athlete and he got 3 Gold Medals for India in Deaflympics But, very less people in India know about him.

He is Virendra Singh Yadav from village Sasroli in Haryana and the documentary film on him named “Goonga Pahelwan” released in 2013.

Despite being a world champion, No one took a stand to celebrate his victory in the nation. And he left unrecognized and uncelebrated from government as well.

A director “Vivek Choudhary” came across an article about him and made this documentary to make this light in, about inequality in treatment and opportunity that disabled athletes receive.

After that:

The Government of India conferred the Arjuna Award upon him.

Thanks !!

What are the most annoying things that foreigners do in your country?

 In Norway we don’t put fences around everything that is dangerous. This picture shows, from the left, Trolltunga, Kjeragbolten and Prekestolen. No fences. Yes, you can fall off. If you do, you will die.

Some things are so dangerous that we do put fences in front of them, e.g. glaciers.

This is the glacier Nigardsbreen. Do you see the bit of ice in the red ring?

That block of ice killed two tourists in 2014. They passed several warning signs and evaded the fence, so they could get closer to the glacier.

This picture was taken at Nigardsbreen the day after the accident. That is a Police perimeter they are crossing:

Nigardsbreen the day after the accident, inside the fenced-off area, inside the Police perimeter:

Glaciers are not huge innocent stationary ice cubes. They are in motion. As they move, they break up.

Most people know that sheer drops and wild rivers are dangerous, but when natural phenomena are fenced off in Norway, it means that they are way more dangerous than you think! So, for the love of all you hold dear, stay on the right side of the fence near a glacier! If there is no fence, keep your distance!

Update July 6th, 2017. Nigardsbreen, a few metres away from where the accident happened in 2014:

According to Norwegian public broadcaster NRK they were having lunch.

Update August 5th, 2018. Nigardsbreen. Three people ended up in the water when the glacier calved. One of them did not survive. NRK: Tre personar fall i Nigardsbrevatnet

This picture was taken a few hours before the 2018 accident:

What are the 10 things that every Indian should know?

 That there is an Indian presence almost everywhere.

• The World’s Remotest Continent, Antarctica.(Maitri and Dakshin Gangotri).

• World's Highest Peak above sea level, Mt. Everest

• The worlds highest battlefield, Siachen Glacier.

First Indian In Space.

• The Red Planet, Mars.

Some other Interesting Facts about Mother India.

• Highest Motor-able road in the world, Khardung La Pass.

• Wettest Place on Earth, Mawsynram in Meghalya.

• Man with the Largest Family, Ziona Chana(39 wives, 94 children and 33 grandchildren) resides in Mizoram. (Interesting but not a matter of pride)

• Highest Cricket Ground, Chail in Himachal Pradesh.

• Crystallised Sugar was first consumed in India (Gupta Period)

Incredible India!……………Jai Hind.

What are some cool things about China that only people who have gone to China know about?

 China is full of cool things. Here my favourites. I photographed them during my years in Shanghai and Beijing.

This train connects Shanghai and Beijing. It’s so fast that you can do a weekend trip and still see enough in the other city, even though it’s 1600 km. And it costs like 50 US Dollars:

Everybody lives in apartments. And these buildings are huge. You may very well have a view like this from your living room:

There is design stuff going on everywhere. China is the factory of the world, and they can build anything. And they do. You want to meet some designers, see a show car tonight? Somewhere, this will be going on:

The urban environment is very attractive and clean:

Restaurants are fantastic. Beautiful, great food, and patient waiters everywhere:

You can have new eyeglasses made for the price of a sandwich, while you wait and have tea:

Living conditions in the big apartment compounds are actually really nice and quiet. I was often sitting on my balcony in the evenings like this, in the middle of Shanghai:

The inner cities are incredibly full of light:

There are a myriad of different kinds of venues you can go and meet people, at all price levels:

The selection of products is absolutely crazy:

Every now and then, you bump into something that’s a thousand or so years old:

They put flowers everywhere:

You can eat great food at any time of day or night:

Interior designs are unbelievable, and fun:

You can have a cold beer or five any time, anywhere - and in the summer, you’ll want to:

The scale of the architecture is beyond anything you might have seen elsewhere. Everything is huge in China:

Taxis are everywhere. You want one, just hold out your hand, as if feeding a cow, and one should stop for you within seconds:

You can leave your umbrella at the entrance and lock it!

There are apples like this:

I am not sure what we are looking at, but it is remarkable:

Zero emission pickup trucks:

Bug screens that can carry the weight of an adolescent cat:

McD’s in Chinese:

Advanced, urban fashion:

Fast food chains you may not have heard of before:

People who keep the place squeaky clean:

Cool vehicles:

Extraterrestrial coffee:

Nifty movies:

Security guards everywhere - you are very safe:

A machine that predicts the future:

Trippy trip ships:

You can see huge buildings from above by climbing up an even huger building:

Not just huge, but actually interestingly built:

Cat cafés:

Hygiene is excellent:

Amazing parks:

Electric scooters everywhere:

Driving styles are mellow; you will never be afraid:

Crispy duck:

Dragons everywhere:

Scooters with roofs:

Space efficient living:

Vegetables you may never have seen before:

Yellow rice wine:

I think it’s cool, even if I am not sure what it does:

Well dressed dogs:

You may be living on the 27th floor, but you can hang up your washing in front of your window:

Bamboo stem bottle:

Cars from Mars: