I remember as a kid going to the IMAX to see Cosmic Voyage, probably around when I was 12 or so. I don’t remember a lot about that time, but I very clearly remember watching that scene where the camera progressively zooms outward from the Earth and Morgan Freeman guides us through a trip through the galaxy to the far reaches of the universe. That whole speck on a speck thing really stuck with me.

Not too long ago, I saw another video, Powers of 10 (below), produced by The Office of Charles and Ray Eames for IBM. Although I can’t say I like the narration more than Morgan Freeman (who I love), for some reason this one has a very appealing aesthetic which brought me back to those feelings I had as a kid at the Science Center so many years ago.

So I was really excited today to stumble upon a modern version of the same essential video produced recently by the American Museum of Natural History for a new exhibit: Visions of the Cosmos: From the Milky Ocean to an Evolving Universe. The movie is called The Known Universe; it’s the same theory as Powers of 10 – start out on Earth and then gradually move outward through space and time until you reach the end of the known universe, the afterglow of the Big Bang (I love that – the afterglow). Except for one big difference: this video is meticulously produced to reflect precise scientifically-accurate measurements and research and also benefits from modern production quality as well. It’s essentially a map. I also would mention that the soundscape is a touch more pleasing than Powers of 10. It also includes other tidbits not originally in Powers of 10 or Cosmic Voyage like the haze of artificial satellites surrounding Earth and the order and structure of the outer limits of the universe. Volume up, HD, full screen, play: