No Need to Feel Small

The Powers of Ten video, originally made in 1977 by Charles and Ray Eames, is a stunning look into not only the unimaginable vastness of the universe, but also the depth of biological life itself. The video takes away the anxiety of being a very small human in a very large universe by presenting the perspective that life extends infinitely outward at the same time that it extends so far inward. We are small compared to the universe, but enormous compared to the particles that make up our physical bodies, allowing for our very existence. It is a beautiful thing to realize that exploring the universe is not about feeling small and insignificant, but rather uniquely bestowed with the gift of life in all its glorious detail.

In 1996, the Powers of Ten video was redone as part of an IMAX film called Cosmic Voyage, narrated by Morgan Freeman. The premise is exactly the same, starting with one small child and his hula hoop and expanding outward and then inward by powers of ten. It is truly amazing to know that the universe has not fully been discovered, and our understanding of it ends with the observable universe. There is mystery beyond what we know. The same is true for smaller particles within us. Quarks may contain even smaller particles, just as there may be more beyond our observable universe. It makes one feel as though everything is infinite, both outward and inward, and so there is no reason to worry. There is much so much left to discover!

Check out the Morgan Freeman version here:

Updated Powers of Ten Video