The Universe Above Us
Like Duolingo, but for The Universe Above Us. 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.
27 levels across 3 sections, about 54 minutes end to end, roughly 11 days at five minutes a day. It moves through Eyes on the Night Sky, Our Solar Neighborhood, and The Deep Universe. It starts from scratch.
Free forever · No credit card · iPhone & Android
Key ideas in The Universe Above Us
- Artificial light creates a 'sky glow' that outshines faint stars
- Constellations are 'connect-the-dots' patterns created by our specific viewpoint in the galaxy
- Stars are always present in the sky regardless of local lighting conditions
- Stars in a constellation are at vastly different distances from Earth
- Understanding that light pollution masks rather than removes stars
- Recognizing that constellations are perspective-based patterns, not physical groups
- Polaris sits directly above Earth's axis of rotation
- Your hand held at arm's length covers a consistent amount of the sky
- The rotation of the Earth makes the rest of the sky appear to spin around a single point
- Specific hand shapes correspond to degree measurements used on star maps
- The eyes require about 20 minutes to chemically adjust to low light
- Looking at a bright phone screen or flashlight resets this 'timer'
- Applying the rule of dark adaptation for stargazing
- The Moon is a rocky body with no light-producing fusion
- Moonlight is actually sunlight bouncing off the lunar surface
- The Moon's source of illumination
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 Universe Above Us 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.
Why do the stars appear to form specific shapes like the Big Dipper or Orion?
Get it right to open this lesson and 26 more in the app.
Where The Universe Above Us takes you
Look beyond the horizon to understand the stars, planets, and the vast mysteries of the cosmos. Learn to navigate the night sky and discover the forces that shaped our universe.
- 1
Eyes on the Night Sky
- Finding Your Way in the Stars
- The Moon's Changing Face
- Distinguishing Planets from Stars
- 2
Our Solar Neighborhood
- The Scale of the Solar System
- The Sun: Our Local Powerhouse
- Rocky Worlds and Gas Giants
- 3
The Deep Universe
- The Life and Death of Stars
- Galaxies: Cities of Stars
- The Expanding Universe
3 sections · 9 units · 27 levels. Built to play, not to enroll.
You pick the voice
The Universe Above Us 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.
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Start The Universe Above Us today.
Download Tomo, search The Universe Above Us, and play your first lesson in under a minute.