The universe is big. We often say that we live in a small world, but the 25,000-mile trek around the planet Earth is still a longer trip than most of us have ever attempted. The farthest location ever reached by humans is the moon, about 240,000 miles from the earth. While the luner landing was a spectacular achievement, we would have to travel 400 times farther if we wished to extend our exploration to the sun. This glowing sphere is so large that if a map of the earth were drawn to cover the sun’s surface, the entire area of our planet would fit comfortably within the outline of the … Continue reading Alan Guth