The known universe

A few weeks ago I saw something truly incredible. Out in the Egyptian desert I got to look at Jupiter through a fairly high-powered telescope. Two dark bands of colour wrapping around the planet and 4 of its moons. It was breathtaking.

As a kid, two things really captured my imagination – dinosaurs and space. Hardly the most original things for a young boy, but I still think they’re both pretty awesome. In fact, when a friend asked me a few days ago what period in history I’d go back to if I had a time machine, my first reaction was that I’d go and check out some dinosaurs. Still a big kid I guess.

I digress.

I’ve just watched this amazing video, and if you ever want to realise quite how small and insignificant we are in the Universe, then this is a very good starting point.

The Known Universe takes viewers from the Himalayas through our atmosphere and the inky black of space to the afterglow of the Big Bang. Every star, planet, and quasar seen in the film is possible because of the world’s most complete four-dimensional map of the universe, the Digital Universe Atlas that is maintained and updated by astrophysicists at the American Museum of Natural History. The new film, created by the Museum, is part of an exhibition, Visions of the Cosmos: From the Milky Ocean to an Evolving Universe, at the Rubin Museum of Art in Manhattan through May 2010.

Enjoy. In 720p.