Connected Souvenirs

Cosmos

COSMOSBOOK

Observable Universe

Everything else. The part of the address you never write down.

Look

  1. 01The MoonThe only other world anyone has stood on. Look for the flat grey seas.
  2. 02JupiterBinoculars show four of its moons, in a different order each night.
  3. 03The Milky WayOur own galaxy, seen edge on from the inside. Needs a dark sky.
  4. 04A meteor showerSame dates every year. The Earth drives through very old dust.

Ask

  1. 01Why is the sky dark?With endless stars it should be bright. It isn't, and that means something.
  2. 02What are we made of?Carbon, oxygen, iron. All of it cooked inside stars that died.
  3. 03How old is light?The sunlight on your hand left the Sun eight minutes ago.
  4. 04Is there anyone else?Nobody knows. That is the honest answer, and the interesting one.

Try

  1. 01Grow a crystalSalt, water and a string. Chemistry slow enough to watch.
  2. 02Split sunlightA glass of water and a white wall make a rainbow indoors.
  3. 03Look at onion skinUnder the cheapest microscope: cells, in rows, like bricks.
  4. 04Weigh airA balloon is heavier full than empty. Try it on a kitchen scale.

Imagine

  1. 01A day elsewhereOn Venus one day lasts longer than its year. Nothing is standard.
  2. 02The edgeThere may not be one. Try picturing that honestly.
  3. 03Deep timeIf Earth's history were one day, we arrived in the last second.