Free Universe Zoom - Feel How Big Space Really Is
Universe Zoom is a free interactive tool that shows the size of everything, from the idea of a multiverse down to you. A single slider zooms in steps of ten, so you can see how the observable universe, galaxy superclusters, the Milky Way, nearby stars, the Solar System, the Earth and a human being all fit together. It is made for kids and students and works in English and Hindi.
From the Multiverse to Earth
The journey starts with the Multiverse, an idea that some scientists discuss in which our whole universe is just one bubble among many. Nobody has proved it, so the tool clearly marks it as an idea. Then you enter our observable universe, about 93 billion light-years wide, with the afterglow of the Big Bang at its edge. Next come the cosmic web, the Laniakea Supercluster, the Local Group and our own galaxy, the Milky Way, where the Sun sits in the small Orion Arm about 26,000 light-years from the centre.
Stars, the Solar System and You
Zooming further you see familiar stars such as Sirius, Betelgeuse and Polaris, then Proxima Centauri, the nearest star at 4.2 light-years. The Solar System appears with its planets, the Kuiper Belt, the Oort Cloud idea and the Voyager probes. The planets are placed using their real orbital positions for today. The Earth and the Moon follow, with satellites such as the ISS, the edge of space, clouds, aeroplanes, Mount Everest, Burj Khalifa and Qutub Minar, and finally a person about 1.7 metres tall.
Powers of Ten and Scale
Each zoom level is described by a power of ten. The universe is about 1027 metres wide and a person is about 100 metres, so the universe is roughly 5 × 1026 times bigger than you. The readout shows the width of the view, the time light needs to cross it and a scale ruler. The travel calculator lets you try the Moon, the Sun, Proxima Centauri or Andromeda by walking, car, plane, rocket or at the speed of light.
A Note on Accuracy
Sizes and distances are real, but pictures are simplified. Galaxies and the Milky Way are artist-style drawings, planets and stars are drawn bigger than life so they can be seen, and the positions of faraway clusters are only shown in a made-up direction. Planet and Moon positions use simple orbit formulas for today’s date and are approximate. The Earth view is centred on a place guessed from your time zone and nothing is sent anywhere.