Awesome Space

You might feel like you’re standing still right now, but we are always moving. But our place in the universe isn’t absolute. Instead, our location is entirely relative to other objects. Kurzgesagt explores this concept, and how each person, place, and thing has its own point of view for its position and movements.

Take a trip into space with this levitating planet lamp from Levitos. The illuminated planet floats and spins about 0.75″ above its base using electromagnetic induction technology and casts a colorful glow from inside of its orb. The planet and base measure about 5.25″ wide.

In 2013, a group of college students launched a weather balloon and a GoPro camera into the clouds above the Grand Canyon. It soon came crashing down to Earth, but they couldn’t find it when they lost their connection to its GPS tracker. Two years later, the team recovered the camera and shared the footage it captured.

We still don’t know if there are other species out there in space, but it certainly seems possible that we’re not the only life forms in the universe. Kurzgesagt goes one step further to explore the possibility that aliens life once roamed the Earth long before the dinosaurs.

Until now, most of the images we’ve seen of Venus have been shrouded in a thick blanket of clouds. Recently, the Wide-Field Imager (WISPR) on NASA’s Parker Solar Probe was able to capture the first-ever visible-light images of the surface of Venus. By comparing these with radar-based images, we get the best understanding so far of the planet’s features.

Roland Emmerich’s Moonfall envisions what might happen if the Moon came out of its orbit and crashed into the Earth. Kurzegesagt takes a more scientific approach, and explains what might happen if the moon gradually got closer to the Earth, and the big problems we’d experience long before the Moon ever got here.

Inspired by the bumpy lunar surface, this analog-digital watch is one of the boldest G-SHOCKs we’ve seen in a while. Its forged bezel, vapor-deposited dial, metal band ring, and buckle are all gold ion-plated, and its caseback has an engraved moon design. We only wish the rocket packaging was available in the U.S.

LEGO builder marian519 built this mechanical contraption inspired by a vintage mechanical clockwork. As its crank is turned, it demonstrates the rotational relationships between the Earth, Sun, and Moon. The instructions and parts list for the 2305-piece, 70-gear model are available for purchase on Rebrickable.

Bring the moon indoors with this high-definition print of the lunar surface, encircled by LED lighting. It’s made from titanium magnesium alloy and acrylic and measures 24″ across, and its light can be set to warm and cool color temperatures. Available through 12.30.21 from Touch of Modern. They also sell a 14″ version.

While we’ve never found evidence of intelligent life outside of our planet, scientists hold out hope that someday we might. Kurzgesagt looks at one particularly dark theory that says other civilizations could be out there and intentionally hiding, ready to eradicate us at the first sign of contact.

Pop art house Dorothy created these prints that celebrate electronic and alternative music. At the center of each solar system is a band that changed everything, encircled by planets and moons representing musicians caught in their gravitational pull. Each print measures 40cm x 50cm. Price show is for the 2-poster bundle.

Celebrate your love for our planet and our neighbors in space with these oversize puzzles from Chronicle Books. Measuring 2.5 feet in diameter, the kid-friendly 100-piece puzzles feature beautiful satellite images captured by NASA of the Earth, Mercury, Mars, and our moon.

This modern wristwatch has a design inspired by space exploration and black holes. Its deep case provides room for a floating movement and curved hands, while a concave sapphire crystal completes its look. It’s driven by a Seiko NH05 movement with a 40-hour power reserve. Available in stainless or titanium.

Part of DK’s Big Ideas Simply Explained series, The Astronomy Book is a great way to learn about a typically dense subject. The book explores the history of astronomy, space exploration, and the concepts surrounding astrophysics in terms that anyone can understand.

This new variant of the awesomely spinny Mezmocoin adds a colorful image to its top. The precision-machined discs spin smoothly for up to 12 minutes and fascinate the eyes with their holographic images of galaxies set beneath a clear resin dome.

This limited-edition lightweight jacket is named for NASA’s Space Launch Complex 41. It has a waterproof, stretch-woven shell with a zero-bulk insulation layer to help you keep warm on chilly morning jogs. Features include an insulated kangaroo hand pocket, an exterior zipper pocket, thumb-loop cuffs, and an integrated hood.

In 2006, astronauts aboard the ISS fitted a decommissioned Russian spacesuit with a radio transmitter and jettisoned it into orbit. SuitSat-1 eventually re-entered Earth’s atmosphere and is presumed to have burned up. But Josh Tanner and Jade van der Lei’s sci-fi horror short film offers a much creepier take on the suit’s fate.

In this short science fiction story, Pursuit of Wonder imagines what our distant future might look like when galaxies have moved so far away from each other that the rest of the universe no longer appears to exist. It’s a fascinating philosophical exploration of history and how time and perspective can change everything.

Motion designer VISUALDON created this hypnotic and soothing video of a NASA astronaut floating in an ocean that looks like a liquid manifestation of space. Whenever we see a video this long, all we can think of is how long it took for YouTube to encode it.

Take a journey into space without ever leaving your kitchen. These vibrant and unique knives come printed with long-wearing, food-safe images of the cosmos. They have stainless steel blades and feature color-coordinated ergonomic grip handles. Sold as a set of six.

We couldn’t help but think of the Apple TV+ series For All Mankind when we saw this excellent commercial featuring two astronauts competing to be first to plant their nation’s flag on the Moon. The spot was directed by Edouard Salier for Wanda to promote SEGA’s civilization-building game Humankind.

Hailing from Vladivostok, Russia, Art Brothers Glass makes some incredible stained glass pieces. One of their more modest works is this colorful suncatcher of the moon with a trio of astronauts (or cosmonauts) and a satellite dangling below. Each 8.9″ x 7″ piece is handmade, so expect subtle differences.

After Kurzgesagt schooled us on how black holes work, we’re ready for some serious space exploration. In this video, the explain the relative sizes of these planet-eating phenomena, from coin-sized primordial black holes to city-sized stellar black holes to our favorite Muse song, Supermassive Black Hole… and beyond.