A Tour of the Universe

I’m guessing at some point you’ve learned a little about planets, the solar system, galaxies, and the universe - even if that’s just from watching Star Wars. One of the best summaries of the universe that I’ve ever seen comes from the 90’s animated series, Animaniacs. Watch the 2-min “Yakko’s Universe” music video and see if you can keep up with all of the astronomy terms being used (used correctly, I might add).
Read 1.6 A Tour of the Universe, which moves outward from the earth to the solar system to the Milky Way galaxy.
Our universe covers an incomprehensible scale - from the very small to the very large. The classic demonstration of this scale is the 1977 Short Film “Powers of Ten.” If, like me, you are somewhat allergic to any videos made prior to 1990, then you may prefer this 1996 “Powers of Ten” remake, narrated by Morgan Freeman.
Explore 1.7 The Universe on the Large Scale and 1.8 The Universe of the Very Small
For an interactive experience, spend some time exploring the Nikon Universcale, which allows you to move through factors of ten from subatomic particles up to the entire observable universe.
I love seeing examples of astronomy in movies. I have two favorite scenes from 90’s classics that show a “zoom out from earth into space”-type scene. The first comes at the very end of “Men In Black” and the second comes near the very beginning of “Contact”. In the case of Contact, notice how the radio signals go back in time the farther away from the earth we travel. This is an interesting connection to lookback time, and it represents a plot point in the movie.
Read 1.9 A Conclusion and a Beginning to wrestle with the insignificance of humanity in the cosmic timescale.
It’s easy to become depressed when we study astronomy. A cosmic perspective can make us feel like life here on Earth doesn’t matter. Watch the video The Mystery of the Universe to see why I find the study of astronomy to be so inspiring.