Sketchplanations
Big Ideas Little Pictures
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Space sketches

Explore sketches, drawings, and illustrations that simplify ideas related to Space.

Orbit illustration: how a satellite stays in orbit - the balance between its velocity and gravity pulling it towards EarthOrbitAstronomer watching the light of one star moving away being redshifted and one star moving towards being blueshiftedRedshiftRussell's Teapot illustration: an unexceptional china teapot floats peacefully in space with part of a large burnt-red planet visible in the background. Bertrand Russell's quote fills the space: "If I were to claim "there's a teapot, too small to spot, orbiting between Earth and Mars", the burden of proof lies on me."Russell's TeapotWhat is The Overview Effect example explained: the classic moonrise photo from the Apollo 11 moon missions with 2 astronauts have a bit of a moment and need to sit down when taking in the majestic view of Earth from the moon and realise this is all we've got.The Overview Effect A Profound Shift in PerspectiveAsteroids, meteors and meteoritesHow to find the North Star polaris in the Northern hempisphere and which way is North: This sketch shows a drawing of the Northern Hemisphere, the Big Dipper, and the Little Dipper. Follow the last two stars of the Big Dipper to a prominent star. The North star is the star that stays fixed in those neat star trails photos with all the stars rotating in a circle as the earth turns.Find the North starSupermoon illustration: showing the moon large at its perigee, when it is closet to Earth, and smaller at it's apogee, when it's furthest from EarthSupermoon
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