The Power of the Power of Ten
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 11.27.07
Some say that the photograph of the Earth floating in Space shot from Apollo 8 kick-started the environmental movement, showing that we were all in it together on such a small blue marble. Others have said that Charles and Ray Eames' Powers of Ten taught us about scale, our small place in the universe. Kottke reminds us that no matter what you watch, the original Eames version shown above, the fabulous and funny Powers of Ten Simpsons on the Couch version, or the National Film Board 1968 version by Eva Szasz, shown below, they all put us in our place.
See also COSMIC VIEW: The Universe in 40 Jumps by Kees Boeke, 1957, reproduced online.
Thanks to ::Kottke.org for the memories.
from the ::Simpsons version
UPDATE: Commenter Andrew MT tells us about another version: "I saw this IMAX film (when I was around 15 or so) before I saw the original Powers of Ten, and I must say that the improved computer generated graphics, beautiful music, and narration by Morgan Freeman blow the original film out of the water." Linked to below: (Thanks Andrew!)
seen this almost every time iv had a substitute teacher is sceince,and sometimes even in math.
Don't forget about the remake of the Powers of Ten in the IMAX film Cosmic Voyage, narrated by Morgan Freeman. I saw this IMAX film (when I was around 15 or so) before I saw the original Powers of Ten, and I must say that the improved computer generated graphics, beautiful music, and narration by Morgan Freeman blow the original film out of the water. I've seen the original film twice, once in high school and in a college astronomy class, but I really wish they would show the new version (without the creepy 70s music). The new version does a better job of capturing the viewer's imagination.
Here's a link to the Powers of Ten remake found in Cosmic Voyage, although you can always see it in IMAX (which is amazing) at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in DC: http://youtube.com/watch?v=b8zrlOGKI2E