Our Cosmic Neighborhood
Get to know the planets, stars, and the invisible forces that hold our universe together in this quick guide to the night sky.
Like Duolingo, but for Our Cosmic Neighborhood. Tomo turns the whole topic into a game you play five minutes a day, until it actually sticks.
A short one: 8 levels across 2 sections, about 16 minutes end to end, roughly 3 days at five minutes a day. It moves through Our Local Block and The Wider Universe. It starts from scratch.
Free forever · No credit card · iPhone & Android
Key ideas in Our Cosmic Neighborhood
- The Sun holds nearly all the matter in the solar system
- Gravity acts as a constant inward pull that prevents planets from drifting away
- The planets are tiny in comparison to the Sun's massive scale
- Without a tethering force, objects in motion continue traveling in a straight line into space
- Orbits require a specific speed to counteract the Sun's inward pull
- How gravity functions as a tether for planetary motion
- Falling into the Sun is the result of gravity winning over forward momentum
- Liquid water is a requirement for life as we know it
- The Sun's dominance of mass in the solar system
- A planet's distance from its star determines if water stays liquid rather than freezing or boiling away
- The relationship between speed, gravity, and orbital outcomes
- The four planets closest to the Sun are small and made of rock
- The four planets furthest from the Sun are giants made mostly of gas and liquid
- Distinguishing between the rocky inner planets and the gas giant outer planets
- A thick atmosphere traps heat like a heavy blanket
- The definition and requirement of the Goldilocks Zone
You've tried the other tabs
Thirty open tabs. Four facts you actually kept.
You watched. You nodded. By Sunday it was gone.
One answer, then back to scrolling.
Eight weeks. You meant to finish. You didn't.
Tomo gives Our Cosmic Neighborhood the Duolingo treatment: levels, streaks, and quick quizzes that test what you just learned. That game loop is what the tabs above never had, so it's the one you actually finish.
Here's what playing it feels like
A real question from this course. Take your best guess.
Imagine the Earth is a ball on a string being spun in a circle. What force acts as the invisible 'string' keeping us close?
Get it right to open this lesson and 7 more in the app.
How to learn Our Cosmic Neighborhood, step by step
Go in order. 8 short levels across 2 sections, about 16 minutes in all, five minutes a day.
- 1
Our Local Block
- The Sun and the Pull of Gravity
- The Eight Neighbors
- 2
The Wider Universe
- The Secret Life of Stars
2 sections · 3 units · 8 levels. Built to play, not to enroll.
Questions about Our Cosmic Neighborhood
How do I learn Our Cosmic Neighborhood?
Go in order: start with Our Local Block, then The Wider Universe. On Tomo that's 8 short levels, about 16 minutes in all, played five minutes a day. Start free and play the first level in under a minute.
Is there a Duolingo-style app for Our Cosmic Neighborhood?
Yes. Tomo works like Duolingo: short daily lessons, streaks and quick quizzes. Our Cosmic Neighborhood is one of its free courses, and you can type any other topic to get a course of your own.
Is the Our Cosmic Neighborhood course free?
Yes. Our Cosmic Neighborhood is playable on Tomo's free plan, which doesn't expire. No credit card, no waitlist. Download the app and start your first lesson.
How long does it take to learn Our Cosmic Neighborhood?
8 levels across 2 sections, about 16 minutes of play in total. It's built for five minutes a day, so you finish it a little at a time instead of all at once.
Do I need any background to start Our Cosmic Neighborhood?
No. It's pitched at a beginner level, so it starts where you are and builds up. If you can tap a phone, you can start.
Tomo is in ChatGPT
Tomo is also a ChatGPT plugin: the same playable courses, built and played inside your chat.
Add Tomo to ChatGPT- What to ask
- “Make me a Tomo course on black holes.” “Turn this chat into a Tomo course.”
- What you get
- Quick questions with instant feedback, hearts and stars, ready to play in about a minute.
- Where it goes
- No sign-up to start. Connect your Tomo account and your streak carries on in the app.
You pick the voice
Our Cosmic Neighborhood is taught in the Storyteller style: every lesson is a story. Want a different feel? In the app you can spin up the same topic in any of Tomo's teaching styles. Same facts, totally different vibe.
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The Universe Above Us
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The Hidden Rules of Motion
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Astronomy and the Path to Astrophysics
Go beyond stargazing to understand the physics of the cosmos and the professional tools used to decode the universe. This course bridges the gap between an amateur hobbyist and a serious student of the stars.
How Space Works
Make sense of the night sky, journey through our solar system, and uncover the grand forces that shape stars, galaxies, and the universe itself.
Start Our Cosmic Neighborhood today.
Download Tomo, search Our Cosmic Neighborhood, and play your first lesson in under a minute.