This resource gives an impression of how immense our Universe is by starting with an image of the Earth and then zooming out to the furthest visible reaches of our Universe. Its goal is to show astronomical distances without scientific notation. Instead it focuses on the large number of zeros that are in astronomical distances when we measure them with a familiar unit like the kilometer. The number of zeros increases with each zoom, though not at a constant rate. The progression is from Earth to Solar System to nearest star system to the solar neighborhood to our galaxy to the next galaxy and so on to the farthest visible reaches of space. At each stop, the student can click for more information and learn about the image, about the distance, how the distance is calculated, why it is important, and the travel time to get there. Other stops include local groups of galaxies, local superclusters, nearest superclusters, and sheets and voids including the Great Wall and the Perseus-Pisces Chain.

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Author: Maggie Masetti
High Energy Astrophysics Science Archive Research Center (HEASARC)
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Publisher: Director
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
High Energy Astrophysics Science Archive Research Center (HEASARC)