← All subjects

Astronomy

Planets, stars, galaxies and the deep history of the cosmos.

Core concepts

Light-years

A distance, not a time: how far light travels in a year — about 9.46 trillion km.

Stellar life cycle

Stars fuse hydrogen, swell into giants, then end as white dwarfs, neutron stars or black holes.

Redshift

Light from receding galaxies stretches toward red — the evidence the universe is expanding.

Key formulas

Try an experiment

20 min

Homemade spectroscope

The CD's grooves split light into a spectrum — the same technique that reveals what stars are made of.