A Wizard's Guide to the Universe

The universe is older, stranger and more beautiful than you think.

Films about the cosmos, life and the ideas shaping our future, told by an old wizard who never stopped wondering.

Watch the films (Opens in a new window.)Visit the shop
Tonight's Moon ·
13.8 billion years since the Big Bang
8 min 20 s for sunlight to reach you
100,000 light-years across our galaxy
93 billion light-years across what we can see
Explore

How big is everything?

Slide outward from your own planet to the edge of everything we can see. Each step is drawn to scale for that view.

View ≈ 40,000 km wide

Step 1 of 8

Earth

12,742 kmacross
0.04 secondsfor light to cross it

Every person who has ever lived did so on this small, bright ball. Hold that thought. We are going outward.

Tonight's sky

The Moon tonight is …

Step outside after dark and look for it.

– lit Age – days Next full Moon –

Worked out from the average length of the lunar month, so dates can be a day out.
The shop

The universe, for your walls

Museum-grade prints and gifts, each drawn by us and checked against real data. Printed to order and shipped from the UK, EU and US.

New prints and gifts are on their way. Browse the shop
New for 2027

The Wizard's Sky Calendar

Twelve original paintings, every Moon phase, and the year's best things to look up at, from meteor showers to a total eclipse of the Sun.

  • 4 Jan Quadrantid meteors peak, with a thin Moon: a good year for them
  • 20 Feb Penumbral eclipse of the Moon, visible across the UK late in the evening
  • 20 May A seasonal Blue Moon
  • 2 Aug Total eclipse of the Sun: up to 6 min 23 s near Luxor; about 42% of the Sun covered from London
  • 12–13 Aug Perseid meteor shower
  • 18 Oct Saturn at its closest and brightest
  • 25 Nov Venus and Mars meet in the evening sky
The Wizard's Circle

One letter a month about what is happening in the sky.

What to look up at, the newest films, and a first look at new prints. No spam, leave any time.