The Scale of the Universe is a web-based Total Perspective Vortex that will make you feel very very small — or very very large — with the swipe of a mouse. You start at the scale of humans/dodos/giant earthworms, and from there you can zoom up to galaxies and down to quarks, or you can slow down and take in some surprises along the way. (A neutron star: much smaller than Rhode Island! Silk fiber: not much wider than a white blood cell! Gomez’s Hamburger: an actual thing in space!)

Reader support helps sustain our work. Donate today to keep our climate news free. All donations DOUBLED!

Zoom out while keeping an eye on human artifacts as they disappear to feel like an invisible dot on an invisible dot, infinitely small. Or zoom in and think about all the tiny things that are probably living on you right now. Either way, you might need a drink after this one.

Grist thanks its sponsors. Become one.