Our place in space
From a river on Earth to the edge of the Solar System and beyond.
5 lessons · about 64 min
The steps
- GeographyUp next
1. Earth
Why is Earth the only known ocean world with life? Explore how its greenhouse atmosphere, restless interior, tilt, Moon and life itself work together to keep the planet habitable.
- Geography
2. Nile
The Nile is the longest river on Earth but carries little water. Follow its water and silt back to Ethiopia, see how the flood built Egyptian civilization, and learn why dams and borders make the river so contested.
- Physical sciences
3. Solar System
Discover why one star holds almost all the mass of our cosmic neighbourhood, how a spinning cloud turned into rocky and giant planets, and what lies beyond Neptune.
- Physical sciences
4. Gravity
Why does a heavy ball fall no faster than a light one? From Galileo's falling objects to Newton's universal law and Einstein's curved spacetime.
- Physical sciences
5. Black hole
What happens when a mass is squeezed so tightly that not even light can escape? The size, density and surprising behaviour of black holes, and how we detect objects that give off no light.