{"id":41321,"date":"2023-07-03T08:36:00","date_gmt":"2023-07-03T15:36:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/?p=41321"},"modified":"2023-06-28T11:42:21","modified_gmt":"2023-06-28T18:42:21","slug":"cosmos","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/cosmos\/","title":{"rendered":"Cosmos"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Once a week we\u2019ll send out a page from Cool Tools: A Catalog of Possibilities. The tools might be outdated or obsolete, but the possibilities they inspire are new.\u00a0Sign up here<\/a>\u00a0to get Tools for Possibilities a week early in your inbox.<\/em><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Picture of everything<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The Universe Map<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The first modern map of the known universe. Spacey. Trippy. An ingenious design locates our habitat in the very grand order of things. \u2014 KK<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Timeline of the universe and everything<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Universal Heritage<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This chart rewards careful study. Inspect one timeline of the universe from the Big Bang to yesterday. It skips through this vast scale in 16 jumps, each period nested inside the preceding epic. Combined here is cosmic history, geological history, biological history and cultural history into one unified, universal snapshot of the Great Story. \u2014 KK<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Understanding scale<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The Scale of the Universe 2<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is a cool tool for comprehending, appreciating, and demonstrating the scale of our universe. I used to recommend Charles and Ray Eames\u2018 classic film, Powers of Ten, as the best way to get a sense of our cosmos. It\u2019s still effective, but two bothers have made an on-line portal that blows Powers of Ten away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Check out The Scale of the Universe 2. It takes a minute to load. Once ready, be prepared to have your horizons stretched. I like the way they pile in the expected and unexpected size examples, which anchor the scale in a refreshing way. The continuous zoom is what makes this device work, rather than the quantum powers of ten of the film. (In fact you can read off the powers of ten in this model as well.) And the fact that you drive the slider. And like anytime you drive, you get a better sense of the place than you do as a mere passenger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For the first time, I really got a visceral sense of our place in the universe. As many have noted before (but none have explained) we \u2014 our visible bodies \u2014 are located approximately in the middle of the universe\u2019s size range. The largest things we know and the smallest things we know are roughly the same magnitude away from us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And BTW, this app is what electronic \u201cpublishing\u201d is really about. \u2014 KK<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Here we are<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Universe<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

So far this is my favorite one-volume gallery of the other inhabitants in our universe. Organized by ascending distance from us, it includes portraits of known planets, remarkable stars, flamboyant nebula, and outstanding galaxies. Better than any other atlas, or map, or online source, this book gives you a really good picture of this place called the universe. \u2014 KK<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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