Mini WorldLaplace
Plate 38 Where Not Even Light Escapes

Space

The sky overhead and beyond: seasons, tides, eclipses, planets, and a black hole that not even light can leave.

10 plates

Plates 10

  1. Plate 40 Halley’s Comet Is Far Away. Its Dust Is Here. SpaceStart here Every late October the Earth ploughs through dust shed by Halley’s Comet, and the Orionids streak across the night. In 2026 the best night is October 21 to 22. Open
  2. Plate 03 The Shadow of the Moon SpaceStart here The Sun is about 400 times wider than the Moon, and about 400 times farther away. That coincidence lets day turn to night for a few minutes. Open
  3. Plate 05 Why Summer Is Warm SpaceStart here Not because the Earth is closer to the Sun. In early January the Earth is at its closest — in the dead of the northern winter. Open
  4. Plate 10 How the Moon Moves the Sea SpaceStart here Why are there two high tides a day? Because the Moon pulls the near ocean toward it — and leaves the far ocean behind. Open
  5. Plate 12 Why the Moon Changes Shape SpaceStart here The Moon never changes shape. What changes is how much of its sunlit half we can see. Open
  6. Plate 18 The Space Station Is Falling SpaceStart here Astronauts float not because there is no gravity in space, but because they and their station are always falling. Open
  7. Plate 22 Why a Foucault Pendulum Turns SpaceGoing further A long pendulum swings back and forth, and the line of its swing slowly turns. What turns is the floor beneath it, and the Earth beneath the floor. Open
  8. Plate 24 The Solar System Today SpaceStart here Where are the eight planets right now? The farther from the Sun, the slower they go, and the longer a lap takes. Open
  9. Plate 27 What Pushes a Rocket SpaceGoing further A rocket doesn’t push against the air. It throws a large part of itself backwards very fast, and the rest of it is pushed forwards. Open
  10. Plate 38 Where Not Even Light Escapes SpaceGoing further A black hole packs so much matter into so small a space that not even light can get out. It is dark itself, but the light it bends around it draws a bright ring. Open