Understand the entire universe, starting from your backyard
Cosmic Zoom is one continuous journey outward through space and backward through time — from the stars you can see tonight to the edge of everything. Every impossible number gets turned into something you can picture. The math is always optional.
$49 one-time, plus applicable taxes · Full access
Read 3 lessons free first — no account neededyears since the Big Bang — an age now pinned down to better than one percent.[1]
of the universe is dark matter and dark energy, and we do not know what either one is.[2]
stars mapped in three dimensions by a single European spacecraft, Gaia.[3]
Sources
- [1] ESA, Planck mission — the cosmic microwave background measurement behind the 13.8-billion-year age of the universe. View source ↗
- [2] NASA Science — Dark Energy, on the roughly 5% ordinary matter / 27% dark matter / 68% dark energy inventory. View source ↗
- [3] ESA, Gaia mission — the Data Release 3 catalog of about 1.8 billion sources. View source ↗
Figures as published by NASA and ESA. Every lesson cites the mission or observatory a number came from, so you can always check it yourself.
What makes this course different
A survey of everything, built so that nobody gets left behind and nobody gets bored.
What you get
Everything below is included in the one price.
- 37 core lessons across nine modulesEach a self-contained 30 to 45 minutes — about 24 hours of reading in total, comfortably paced over 8 to 12 weeks.
- Three milestone Zoom-Out ReviewsSpaced recall built into the course at the end of modules 3, 6 and 9, so what you learn in week one is still there in week ten.
- Seven optional math appendicesScientific notation, the inverse-square law, Kepler's third law, E = mc², redshift, escape velocity and the distance ladder — graded Easy, Medium and Hard, and never past high-school level.
- Printable downloadsA cosmic scale cheat sheet, a starlight reference, Solar System fact cards, a star life-cycle map, a stargazing starter kit and a one-page formula sheet.
- Curated links to the real thingEvery lesson points you at NASA, ESA and ESO images, live solar feeds and free planetarium software — so the course opens outward instead of closing in on itself.
- Quizzes with reasoned answer keysShort checks that never test memorizing numbers, each with an explanation of why the right answer is right and the tempting one isn't.
One price, the whole universe
No subscription, no tiers, no upsells.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to be good at math?
No. Every core lesson is written to be read and enjoyed with no calculation at all, and nothing in the quizzes needs math beyond arithmetic. The algebra lives in seven optional appendices at the back — clearly labeled, entirely skippable, and never past high-school level. If you love math, they're waiting for you; if you don't, you'll never notice they're missing.
Do I need a telescope?
Not at all. The optional 'try it tonight' activities are built for the naked eye and free software like Stellarium. If you own binoculars they'll add to it, but nothing in the course requires equipment.
How long does it take, and how should I pace it?
About 24 hours of core reading across 37 lessons, each a self-contained 30 to 45 minutes. Two or three lessons a week makes it an 8 to 12 week journey, which is the pace it's designed for — though you're welcome to binge it. The optional appendices add a couple of hours more.
Can I read some of it before I buy?
Yes. Three lessons are free and open to anyone: the opener on why looking out into space means looking back in time, a full lesson on reading the night sky tonight, and the first lesson of Module 2, on how a single beam of light carries nearly everything we know. That's about 105 minutes of the real course, not a trailer.
Is this a video course?
No — it's written. Every lesson is a proper piece of reading with diagrams, analogies and links out to the real NASA, ESA and ESO images. You can read it on a phone on the train, and you can go back and find a sentence again, which is much harder in video.
Is the science actually up to date?
Yes, and it's sourced. Figures come from the missions that measured them — Planck for the age of the universe, Gaia for the star catalog, the Event Horizon Telescope for the black-hole images — and each lesson links to the agency page so you can check any claim yourself.
How do payment and access work?
One payment through Stripe unlocks everything — all 37 lessons, all seven appendices, and every download — and it stays unlocked, including any future updates. There's no subscription and nothing to cancel.
Ready to explore the universe?
$49 one-time, plus applicable taxes — the whole universe. Start with 3 lessons free and see whether the voice is for you.