This article was published in Scientific American’s former blog network and reflects the views of the author, not necessarily those of Scientific American
The earth revolves around the sun. It's a true fact, and no conspiracy.
Even with such enlightenment, it's nice to be reminded of why people once thought the opposite -- that the universe revolves around the earth -- to briefly knock us off our ivory tower of knowledge and be reminded of just how far we've come.
This feeling struck me as I watched 'Finding Oregon,' a stunning time-lapse video from the Portland-based Uncage the Soul video production company. The four-minute video highlights the sky, in night and day, from different viewpoints around the state. Intended to be a tourism promotional film, it really does much more. It's breathtaking, literally, and hair-raising in an inspiring, not horrifying, way. And watching the stars careen through the sky gave me pause. Because a person born in a vacuum would conclude that the heavens, in fact, revolve around the earth after watching the video.
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So sit back, full screen the video, turn up the volume and enjoy. And click through to the vimeo page to learn more about how the team put the video together.
If your heart doesn't stop, I declare you inhuman.
https://vimeo.com/32852978
Image: Screenshot from 'Finding Oregon'