Here at Astronomy, we’ve been hard at work putting together the first ever digital astronomy experience that shows you how our universe and all the objects it contains form and evolve. This app, called Cosmic Origins, is composed of four separate interactive products for purchase, each focusing on a different astronomical topic. And it’s available now!
In How the universe began, learn about the Big Bang and what may have initiated it, how the first elements formed, how tiny temperature variations in the universe’s first moments led to the galaxies we see today, and even how the cosmos will end.
If you want to discover how black holes affect the universe and how galaxies and their larger conglomerates — galaxy clusters — form and evolve through cosmic time, then check out How galaxies came to be.
In How stars form and evolve, learn about the first stars in the universe and the trillions of other stars that fill the cosmos. This package of articles also explains how stars form, how they create elements and then spew them into the universe through supernova explosions, how black holes form, and, hitting close to home, how scientists have searched to find where the Sun was born.
The fourth package in Cosmic Origins covers planetary formation — including Earth. In How the solar system formed, explore Earth’s fiery beginning and how a huge collision likely created the Moon. Discover how new research about worlds orbiting other stars affects astronomers’ understanding of planet formation. Even learn scientists’ leading theories on how life got started on our planet in this interactive guide.
We’ve packed some 50,000 words, 120 graphics, and nearly 150 photos, with almost 80 interactive visuals into these four products. This awesome interactivity lets you step through nuclear reactions, view a gallery of stellar explosions, explore the background radiation that permeates the cosmos, animate the methods that scientists use to find exoplanets, and much more.
These four packages have been a blast to create, and we hope you enjoy exploring the universe in a new and unique way. So, what are you waiting for? Have fun discovering our universe in the four Cosmic Origins products, available for download at the Apple App Store and Google Play Store! You can also learn more about the app at www.Astronomy.com/cosmicorigins.