We had a beautiful winter sunset here in Woodstock, Maine tonight. It was a nice ending to a relaxing weekend. Watching the sunset while I was thinking about the week ahead prompted this post about the size of the sun and the scale of the universe.
How Big Is The Sun? is a short video that was released by Minute Physics. The video does a good job of putting the size of the sun into perspective that most students of middle school age or older should be able to understand.
The Scale of the Universe 2
features a huge selection of objects in the universe that are arranged
according to size and scale. You can zoom-in on the image to objects as
small as neutrinos and quarks or as large as planets, constellations,
and galaxies. When you click on an object in The Scale of the Universe 2
a small window of information about that object pops up.
3D Solar System Web is a neat website that I discovered through the Chrome web store.
3D Solar System Web features a narrated tour of the solar system
beginning at the sun and working out through all of the planets. The
tour explains the classifications of each planet, how long it takes each
planet to orbit the sun, and each planet’s unique features.
Magnifying the Universe is an interactive infographic that allows you to see the size of atoms, animals,
buildings, mountains, planets, stars, and galaxies in relation to other
objects in the universe.
100,000 Stars is a Google Chrome Web GL Experiment that does a good job of helping viewers understand the scale of the universe. 100,000 Stars
is a visualization of the 100,000 stars closest to Earth. You can view
the stars on your own or take an automated tour of the stars. that also does a good job of helping viewers understand the scale of the universe. 100,000 Stars
is a visualization of the 100,000 stars closest to Earth. You can view
the stars on your own or take an automated tour of the stars.
The Known Universe is a six minute video tour of the known universe that starts with Earth’s biggest mountains in the Himalaya and zooms out from there. Watch the video below.
