How Large Is The Universe? A Monologue On Infinity, Scale, And The Edge Of Reality

We all think we know the answer: “The universe is big.” But what does big actually mean when you stop parroting the phrase and start following it to its logical, terrifying conclusion?

In this long-form monologue, Science Fiction Author D. Colin Palmer walks you step by step through the question, “How large is the universe?”—not as a trivia fact, but as a philosophical and scientific autopsy of reality itself.

We move from human-scale distances to planets, stars, and galaxies… then out past galaxy clusters, superclusters, filaments, and the observable horizon. Along the way, we ask:

What does it mean that we can only see a finite “observable universe” inside something that may be much larger—or infinite?

How does cosmic expansion twist our idea of distance until “how far” stops being a simple question at all?

At what point does talking about size turn into talking about probability, quantum fields, and the possibility of multiple universes?

And psychologically, what happens to a human mind when it actually tries to sit with these scales instead of turning away after the first pretty picture from a space telescope?

This is not a slideshow of numbers and statistics; it’s a guided descent into scale, perception, and the limits of human intuition. Use it as late-night thinking material, background while you work, or as an antidote to small, petty problems. If you’ve ever looked up at the sky and felt that mix of dread and wonder in your chest, this monologue is written for you.

Listen, think, and decide for yourself whether the universe is merely “very large”… or whether the word “large” simply breaks and falls apart in your hands.