This is where the story of Voyage really begins. If you are truly looking for a science education program for your community that has the power to excite young and old alike, then my recommendation is to set aside half an hour to explore these Story of Voyage pages. Get comfortable in front of your computer with maybe a good cup of coffee in hand—and experience the majesty of the universe. Also remember to step back from the story from time to time and take pride in humanity’s ability to know the universe.

Imagine for a moment that you have been transformed into an enormous giant traveling through the cosmos. You happen across a rather ordinary star orbited by a system of planets. You seem to recall the local inhabitants call this star the Sun. Up close, you find you can just wrap your hands around it.

Now you’re traveling outward to explore its planets. Mercury and Venus appear as nothing more than the heads of a pin. The third planet from the Sun appears no bigger, and the entire orbit of its Moon fits comfortably in the palm of your hand. You’re ready to move on but something catches your eye. This tiny world is colorful. It’s mostly blue, but has browns, and a filigree of white that seems to change with the passage of time. Pulling your cosmic magnifying glass from your pocket you take a look—and are amazed. This tiny world is teeming with life! On its night side you see entire continents outlined with lights. These are the inhabitants of this Solar System! This Earth is home to humanity, a race of explorers 6 billion souls strong. Very, very carefully, you place it back in its orbit around the Sun, and continue on your way, venturing further into the void of space. You soon pass Mars—a noticeably red planet that's smaller than Earth, and then...nothing.

It seems you’ve been traveling for quite some time now, through emptiness. Just when you’re ready to give up on any more planets, giant Jupiter comes into view. It’s a massive planet—maybe the largest in this Solar System—about the size of marble. A large storm is visible on its surface, big enough to swallow three Earths—and it’s orbited by over 60 moons!

Back into the void, you travel outward. Again, nothing but empty space for what seems a long time. Then you come across Saturn—a stunning world, just a bit smaller than Jupiter. Surely its majestic system of rings makes this one of the most beautiful objects you’ve ever seen.

You voyage onward, realizing these are all truly tiny worlds in a vast space. You’re now over seven times farther from the Sun than Jupiter, and have only come across two other worlds, Uranus and Neptune, each the size of a pea. Finally, you arrive at Pluto. It is a tiny thing, much smaller than the head of a pin. Looking back across the expanse of space, back toward the Sun, you can’t help but wonder if the microscopic inhabitants of Earth know of Pluto’s existence.

Now it is time to leave this family of the Sun, and venture to the next star. But this is going to take what will seem to be an eternity. The nearest star is 7,000 times farther than Pluto is from the Sun.