Neil deGrasse Tyson has a unique talent for translating the complicated and vast history of space into simple, digestible bits for layfolk like us, whether through breakfasts with Pluto and hundreds of NASA fans or his revival of Carl Sagan’s classic docu-series Cosmos. His latest attempt to make billions of years and trillions of atoms understandable is this stunning video for YouTube channel MinutePhysics, which manages to distill the universe’s entire existence into just under eight minutes. Tyson is a skilled writer and narrator, but the video’s real star is illustrator Henry Reich, whose visuals turn a difficult topic into one that’s playful and vibrant. The animation is set to Igor Stravinsky’s dizzying, colorful Firebird suite — not a bad soundtrack for a quick astrophysics lesson.
Watch Neil deGrasse Tyson explain the history of the universe in under eight minutes
With the help of Igor Stravinsky and gorgeous illustration
With the help of Igor Stravinsky and gorgeous illustration
International Space Station: A time lapse of Earth from the ISS
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