--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The principal reason for the universe's…" description: "\"The principal reason for the universe's poker face is that its constituents are far away. Stars careen through space, and galaxies spin at speeds thous..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/848/seth-shostak-2047_appearance_the-principal-reason-for-the-universe-s_839802.png" --- # The principal reason for the universe's poker face is that… ![“The principal reason for the universe's poker face is that its constituents are far away. Stars careen through space, and galaxies spin at speeds thousands of times faster than a jet plane. But given their distance, you'd need the patience of Job to notice much change in their appearance or…” quote by Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/848/seth-shostak-2047_appearance_the-principal-reason-for-the-universe-s_839802.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/848/seth-shostak-2047_appearance_the-principal-reason-for-the-universe-s_839802.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/848/seth-shostak-2047_appearance_the-principal-reason-for-the-universe-s_839802.png) > “The principal reason for the universe's poker face is that its constituents are far away. Stars careen through space, and galaxies spin at speeds thousands of times faster than a jet plane. But given their distance, you'd need the patience of Job to notice much change in their appearance or position.” [Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The universe appears unchanging because its components move so fast and are so distant that observable change is imperceptibly slow. **In simple terms:** Distant, fast-moving objects seem static. Key Takeaway Recognize the limits of perception. Themes cosmology perception scale patience Mood wonder contemplative Type scientific philosophical When to use this quote - Astronomy education - science communication - philosophical reflection Key Concepts Relativity cosmic time observer effect Questions to Reflect On - How does distance affect our understanding of change? - What does this imply about our place in the universe? A Different Perspective Human perception cannot capture cosmic change in real time. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Appearance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/appearance/) [Astronomy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/astronomy/) [Away](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/away/) [Change](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/change/) [Constituents](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/constituents/) [Distance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/distance/) [Face](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/face/) [Far](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/far/) [Far away](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/far-away/) [Faster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faster/) [Galaxies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/galaxies/) [Galaxies Spin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/galaxies-spin-632221/) [Given](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/given/) [Jet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jet/) [Job](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/job/) [Much](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/much/) [Need](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/need/) [Notice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/notice/) [Patience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/patience/) [Plane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/plane/) [Poker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poker/) [Poker Face](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poker-face-340997/) [Position](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/position/) [Principal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/principal/) [Reason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reason/) [Sands of time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sands-of-time/) [Space](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/space/) [Space Galaxies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/space-galaxies-632222/) [Speeds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/speeds/) [Spin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spin/) [Stars](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stars/) [Than](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/than/) [Thousands](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thousands/) [Through](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/through/) [Times](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/times/) [Universe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/universe/) [Universe Poker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/universe-poker-632220/) [You](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/you/) ## Related quotes > [It bears mentioning that the Milky Way is only one of 150 billion galaxies visible to our telescopes - and each of these will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/it-bears-mentioning-that-the-milky-way-is-only-one-of-150-billion/) [Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/) > [The stars look the same from night to night. Nebulae and galaxies are dully immutable, maintaining the same overall appearance for thousands or millions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/the-stars-look-the-same-from-night-to-night-nebulae-and-galaxies-are/) [Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/) > [Astronomers still can't decide what the shape of our universe is. Is it closed and finite, which is to say, is there a countable…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/astronomers-still-can-t-decide-what-the-shape-of-our-universe-is-is/) [Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/) > [The number of habitable worlds in our galaxy is certainly in the tens of billions, minimum, and we haven't even talked about the moons.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/the-number-of-habitable-worlds-in-our-galaxy-is-certainly-in-the-tens/) [Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/) > [The US player Andy Roddick reaches speeds of 220 kilometers per hour when he serves. If I train with him every day, I will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rafael-nadal/the-us-player-andy-roddick-reaches-speeds-of-220-kilometers-per-hour/) [Rafael Nadal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rafael-nadal/) > [While we are postponing, life speeds by.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucius-annaeus-seneca/while-we-are-postponing-life-speeds-by/) [Lucius Annaeus Seneca](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucius-annaeus-seneca/) > [To live is to see, and traveling sometimes speeds up the process.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-hoagland/to-live-is-to-see-and-traveling-sometimes-speeds-up-the-process/) [Edward Hoagland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-hoagland/) > [“There's always that someone that your heart speeds for, ever since you first saw them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nitya-prakash/there-s-always-that-someone-that-your-heart-speeds-for-ever-since-you/) [Nitya Prakash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nitya-prakash/) > [“Because we have a limited time, we cannot go slowly! Ignore anyone who is advising you to go slow! The faster we are the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/because-we-have-a-limited-time-we-cannot-go-slowly-ignore-anyone-who/) [Mehmet Murat ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [When you make music, you're forming these invisible vibrations in the air into different shapes and consistencies and speeds in order to create music,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flea/when-you-make-music-you-re-forming-these-invisible-vibrations-in-the/) [Flea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flea/) > [I have two speeds. Fast and faster. I don't just run. I take it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arjen-robben/i-have-two-speeds-fast-and-faster-i-don-t-just-run-i-take-it/) [Arjen Robben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arjen-robben/) > [Megaupload was a dual-use technology. You can use it for good things, and you can use it for bad things. If someone sends something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-dotcom/megaupload-was-a-dual-use-technology-you-can-use-it-for-good-things/) [Kim Dotcom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-dotcom/) > [I'm working with two speeds today; slow and fuck you. Which one you want?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-hill/i-m-working-with-two-speeds-today-slow-and-fuck-you-which-one-you-want/) [Nicole Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-hill/) > [If you like, there is a Guinness time. The reason for that it's fundamental. It is not that we have to keep shortening the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ahmed-h-zewail/if-you-like-there-is-a-guinness-time-the-reason-for-that-it-s/) [Ahmed H. Zewail](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ahmed-h-zewail/) > [Switchin' speeds like Bruce Lee ridin' up Fuji in a movie.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/redman/switchin-speeds-like-bruce-lee-ridin-up-fuji-in-a-movie/) [Redman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/redman/) ## More by Seth Shostak > [Studying Sol's interior by looking for analogous patterns on its incandescent face is known as helioseismology, an active - if largely unpronounceable - research…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/studying-sol-s-interior-by-looking-for-analogous-patterns-on-its/) [Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/) > [Some pundits have proposed that the aliens have come here to breed with us. Apparently, too much bike riding or something similar has rendered…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/some-pundits-have-proposed-that-the-aliens-have-come-here-to-breed/) [Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/) > [As far as I can tell, the only unambiguous consequence of the claimed invasion of Earth by beings from another star system has been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/as-far-as-i-can-tell-the-only-unambiguous-consequence-of-the-claimed/) [Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/) > [Look, science is hard, it has a reputation of being hard, and the facts are, it is hard, and that's the result of 400…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/look-science-is-hard-it-has-a-reputation-of-being-hard-and-the-facts/) [Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/) > [Give consideration to the fact that alien astronomers could have scrutinized Earth for more than 4 billion years without detecting any radio signals, despite…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/give-consideration-to-the-fact-that-alien-astronomers-could-have/) [Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/) > [In a movie, it's often important to have aliens whose gestures and facial expressions can be 'read' by humans. And in the days before…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/in-a-movie-it-s-often-important-to-have-aliens-whose-gestures-and/) [Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/) > [Sure, nobody will make a fortune if we figure out why the Big Bang happened. But just about everyone would like to know.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/sure-nobody-will-make-a-fortune-if-we-figure-out-why-the-big-bang/) [Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/) > [If you could drive straight down, into a tunnel bored through the crust of the planet, you'd hit this molten mess in about an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/if-you-could-drive-straight-down-into-a-tunnel-bored-through-the/) [Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/) > [While I have always thought that the motivation for looking for E.T. was both self-evident and patently worthy, it's possible that I'm a victim…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/while-i-have-always-thought-that-the-motivation-for-looking-for-e-t/) [Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/) > [I studied Latin in high school, and I was reading stuff from Cicero. And that signal took a few thousand years to get to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/i-studied-latin-in-high-school-and-i-was-reading-stuff-from-cicero/) [Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/) > [About the only things that are unique to Earth are our biota and our culture. If aliens ever come here, they'd most likely be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/about-the-only-things-that-are-unique-to-earth-are-our-biota-and-our/) [Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/) > [This plucky NASA telescope is able to find planets en masse. If you compare planet hunting to prospecting for gold, then Kepler is equivalent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/this-plucky-nasa-telescope-is-able-to-find-planets-en-masse-if-you/) [Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/) > [The most attractive habitats for synthetic sentience might be the vicinities of exceptional sources of energy - for example black holes, or even the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/the-most-attractive-habitats-for-synthetic-sentience-might-be-the/) [Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/) > [Buying insurance is no one's idea of fun. And it's especially easy to berate something as funky-sounding as writing checks to defend our neighborhoods…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/buying-insurance-is-no-one-s-idea-of-fun-and-it-s-especially-easy-to/) [Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/) > [Plate tectonics is not all havoc and destruction. The slow movement of continents and ocean floors recycles carbon dioxide dissolved in the oceans back…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/plate-tectonics-is-not-all-havoc-and-destruction-the-slow-movement-of/) [Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/) [Explore all 189 Seth Shostak quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/) ## More Appearance quotes > [Your looks don't make you pretty, it's the person inside who makes you pretty!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-chan/your-looks-don-t-make-you-pretty-it-s-the-person-inside-who-makes-you/) [Aaron Chan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-chan/) > [I just worried about my weight. Worried about my appearance and thought I wan't pretty enough to be a pop star. It was very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-durham/i-just-worried-about-my-weight-worried-about-my-appearance-and/) [Judith Durham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-durham/) > [The essence of worldliness is exclusion of God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-jacobsen/the-essence-of-worldliness-is-exclusion-of-god/) [Henry Jacobsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-jacobsen/) > [We must, however, note that what are usually called the high religions made their appearance within about twenty-five hundred years - most of them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-scott-latourette/we-must-however-note-that-what-are-usually-called-the-high-religions/) [Kenneth Scott Latourette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-scott-latourette/) > [First impressions are often the truest, as we find (not infrequently) to our cost, when we have been wheedled out of them by plausible…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/first-impressions-are-often-the-truest-as-we-find-not-infrequently-to/) [William Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hazlitt/) > [The turning points of lives are not the great moments. The real crises are often concealed in occurrences so trivial in appearance that they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-washington/the-turning-points-of-lives-are-not-the-great-moments-the-real-crises/) [George Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-washington/) > [You can have a nice body, dress with the latest fashion. But if you don't have self-confidence sweetheart, forget about looking sexy, you can't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glen-rambharack/you-can-have-a-nice-body-dress-with-the-latest-fashion-but-if-you-don/) [Glen Rambharack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glen-rambharack/) > [I cannot be convinced that great artists are moralists. Art is first appearances, then meaning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/camille-paglia/i-cannot-be-convinced-that-great-artists-are-moralists-art-is-first/) [Camille Paglia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/camille-paglia/) > [So may the outward shows be least themselves; The world is still deceived with ornament.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/so-may-the-outward-shows-be-least-themselves-the-world-is-still/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [We are one of many appearances of the thing called Life; we are not its perfect image, for it has no perfect image except…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/loren-eiseley/we-are-one-of-many-appearances-of-the-thing-called-life-we-are-not/) [Loren Eiseley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/loren-eiseley/) > [I'm OK with my appearance. I have made my peace with it after a long and frankly exhausting battle.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-perkins/i-m-ok-with-my-appearance-i-have-made-my-peace-with-it-after-a-long/) [Sue Perkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-perkins/) > [There is no society or conversation to be kept up in the world without good-nature, or something which must bear its appearance and supply…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/there-is-no-society-or-conversation-to-be-kept-up-in-the-world/) [Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/) > [Appearance records are pretty special. Mine means a lot to me, not only because I love stats, but because it shows that I am…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-james/appearance-records-are-pretty-special-mine-means-a-lot-to-me-not-only/) [David James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-james/) > [Every man would fall in love with their voice, their lovely appearance, but no man would ever get past that. They'd never really know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-hocking/every-man-would-fall-in-love-with-their-voice-their-lovely-appearance/) [Amanda Hocking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-hocking/) > [I already know what things look like - I don't want description. People believe in appearances, and I don't believe in appearances at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/duane-michals/i-already-know-what-things-look-like-i-don-t-want-description-people/) [Duane Michals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/duane-michals/) [Browse all 2,446 Appearance quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/appearance/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The principal reason for the universe's poker face is that its constituents are far away. Stars careen through space, and galaxies spin at speeds thousands of times faster than a jet plane. 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