The Outer Sun

An ongoing series illustrating human ideas about the cosmos, from fantastical ancient beliefs to contemporary scientific theories. by Caitlin Russell Portfolio / Shop

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fig. 9 - The earth is a sphere because that is the most perfect mathematical shape and all heavenly bodies are perfect. (Pythagoras, Ancient Greek)

The Outer Sun is an ongoing series illustrating human ideas about the cosmos.

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fig. 8 - It's turtles all the way down. From this amazing anecdote.

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fig. 7 ~ The planets travel on elliptical orbits around the sun. (Johannes Kepler, Astronomia nova, 1609)

More about Kepler's discovery here.

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fig. 6 ~ There is a great void far out in space, devoid of any galaxies, clusters, or dark matter.

More info on the Eridanus Supervoid here and here.

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fig. 5 ~ The flat earth is enclosed by a cosmic ocean.

And beyond the ocean are seven islands that only a few have ever reached.

(Babylonian)

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fig. 4 ~ The universe is expanding, and galaxies are moving farther away from each other

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fig. 3 ~ The universe is flat, and parallel lines go on forever.

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fig. 2 ~ Protostar

stars are formed from collapsing clouds of gas and dust, when a gravitational "center" develops in a molecular cloud

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fig. 1 ~ Everything is made of triangles

All matter is made up of geometric elements, and triangles are the smallest indivisible particles.

(Platonic Theory, Ancient Greece)

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