To the Edge of Everything
A step-by-step zoom from Earth to the edge of the observable universe, and the tools that measure it.
Grades 6-12About 15 minutes of narrated flight, plus discussion stops11 stops
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What students will see and do
Students pull back from Earth to the Moon, the solar system, the nearest stars, the Milky Way, neighboring galaxies, galaxy clusters, the cosmic web and finally the edge of the observable universe, using light travel time as a ruler.
Learning objectives
- Order structures in the universe from smallest to largest
- Use light travel time to describe very large distances
- Describe parallax and Cepheid stars as distance tools
- Explain evidence for the Big Bang and why the observable universe has an edge
NGSS connections
| MS-ESS1-3 | Scale properties from planets to galaxy superclusters. |
|---|---|
| MS-ESS1-2 | Gravity holds galaxies, groups and clusters together. |
| HS-ESS1-2 | Evidence for the Big Bang: galaxies moving apart and the cosmic microwave background. |
| DCI ESS1.A | The Universe and Its Stars. |
Stops on this journey
- Home
- One light-second
- Light-hours
- Light-years (discussion stop)
- Our galaxy
- A satellite galaxy
- Andromeda
- The Local Group
- The Virgo Cluster
- The cosmic web (discussion stop)
- The edge of what can be seen
Vocabulary
- light-year
- parallax
- galaxy
- Local Group
- supercluster
- cosmic web
- dark matter
- cosmic microwave background