Sometimes the most astonishing things never stop being astonishing, especially when you experience them anew through the eyes of a four-year-old whose new obsession is all things astronomical. In the last week a cheap plastic model of the solar system has captivated Z and launched her into a real understanding of the seasons and day/night cycle as well as inspiring her to scoop up a factoid or two about each planet in our solar system. Her favorite so far seems to be Venus, because it has "bad breath" that will kill you (toxic gases). She does not seem quite aware at this point that visiting any other planet in our solar system and breathing its atmosphere would kill you. We'll save that one for a bit.

Here are the three videos we showed Z last night that amazed us all: One excellent computer animation about the flight, amazing landing, and activities of the Mars Rover that you just have to see to believe; one nice slideshow of images of our sun and each of the planets in our solar system; and one virtual solar system model that shows the planets in motion and reveals the astonishingly vast differences in size between the planets, our sun, and other stars. Jaw-droppingly good stuff.





- Jeremiah