The Cosmos and Beyond
Like Duolingo, but for The Cosmos and Beyond. Tomo turns the whole topic into a game you play five minutes a day, until it actually sticks.
For the part of you with thirty open tabs that never became anything.
74 levels across 9 sections, about 148 minutes end to end, roughly 30 days at five minutes a day. It moves through The Mechanics of Motion, Planetary Evolution, Satellites and Small Bodies, Stellar Life Cycles, Mapping the Night Sky, Galactic Architecture, Space Exploration Technology, Cosmology and the Deep Unknown, and The Search for Life. It assumes you already know the basics.
Free forever · No credit card · iPhone & Android
Key ideas in The Cosmos and Beyond
- Orbits require high tangential velocity to 'miss' the planet while falling
- The barycenter is the balance point of mass between two celestial objects
- Gravity provides a constant downward acceleration toward the center of mass
- If a moon is massive enough, the barycenter shifts outside the primary planet's surface
- Without sufficient forward speed, the path becomes a vertical drop rather than a curve
- Both the primary and the satellite execute orbits around this shared center
- The relationship between horizontal velocity and gravity in maintaining an orbit
- Understanding that planets and stars orbit a shared center of mass
- Gravity weakens with the square of the distance from the primary body
- Escape velocity is the speed where kinetic energy overcomes gravitational potential
- Slower speeds are required at high altitudes to balance the weaker pull of gravity
- Massive planets with high surface gravity require much higher escape velocities
- The inverse relationship between orbital distance and required velocity
- Inner planets or satellites must travel much faster than outer ones to avoid falling in
- Once escape velocity is reached, gravity can slow but never stop the craft
- The definition and application of escape velocity
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 The Cosmos and Beyond 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.
What term describes the shared balance point of mass that two celestial bodies orbit around?
Get it right to open this lesson and 73 more in the app.
Where The Cosmos and Beyond takes you
Go beyond the basics of the solar system to master the mechanics of orbital motion, stellar evolution, and the deep-space structures that define our universe.
- 1
The Mechanics of Motion
- Orbital Dynamics and Gravity
- The Sun's Reach
- 2
Planetary Evolution
- Terrestrial World Geology
- Gas and Ice Giant Anatomy
- 3
Satellites and Small Bodies
- Moons and Tidal Heating
- Asteroids, Comets, and Debris
- 4
Stellar Life Cycles
- The Main Sequence and Fusion
- Stellar Remnants and Death
- 5
Mapping the Night Sky
- Celestial Coordinates
- Constellations and Deep Sky Objects
- 6
Galactic Architecture
- The Milky Way Structure
- Galaxy Classification and Evolution
- 7
Space Exploration Technology
- Launch and Trajectory
- Satellite Operations
- Observational Astronomy Tools
- 8
Cosmology and the Deep Unknown
- Black Hole Physics
- The Big Bang and Expansion
- 9
The Search for Life
- Exoplanet Detection
- Astrobiology and the Drake Equation
9 sections · 19 units · 74 levels. Built to play, not to enroll.
You pick the voice
The Cosmos and Beyond is taught in the The Professor style: clear, structured, thorough. 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.
More Science on Tomo
The Mechanics of the Cosmos
Go beyond the basics of stargazing to master the physics of planetary systems, the life cycles of stars, and the extreme environments of black holes and quasars.
Astrophysics and the Cosmos
Move beyond basic stargazing to understand the physical laws governing the birth of stars, the warping of spacetime, and the ultimate fate of the universe.
Stars, Planets, and the Cosmic Void
Journey from the familiar glow of our Moon to the crushing gravity of black holes. Master the life cycles of stars and discover the strange worlds orbiting distant suns.
The Mechanics of the Cosmos
Master the mathematical laws and physical principles that govern everything from the motion of planets to the quantum behavior of starlight.
The Night Sky and Beyond
Journey from your backyard to the edge of the observable universe. Learn to navigate the constellations, understand the lives of stars, and explore the mysteries of black holes and dark energy.
Astrophysics and the Cosmic Scale
Move beyond identifying constellations to understanding the mechanics of the universe. Explore the physics of stellar evolution, the evidence for dark matter, and the tools astronomers use to measure the edge of space.
Start The Cosmos and Beyond today.
Download Tomo, search The Cosmos and Beyond, and play your first lesson in under a minute.