Carey and Michael Hwang set out to make a beautiful and interactive educational web tool about the relative scale of objects in the universe. What could have turned into a simple website or chart became something much more.

All it takes is a mouse to scroll through the entire universe.

Scale of the Universe 2 is the updated version of the Hwangs’ project. It’s deceptively simple. You use your mouse’s scroll wheel to exponentially slide through the entirety of the universe. From the estimated size of the smallest hypothetical particles to the entire universe itself, you get to see a representational look at how large everything is.

Take, for instance, the human body. Compared to the raffelesia–the largest single-flower in the world, we are huge. But scroll that wheel back one click and we’re tiny. Suddenly, we’re in the domain of spider crabs, giraffes and elephants. One more click and we’re barely visible. The T-Rex takes our place as insignificant in the face of the blue whale.

Humans are going, going, gone in two clicks of the mouse.

While the information is geared at a younger audience, the style and concept of Scale of the Universe 2 make it a fun diversion for anyone. Each object in the application can be clicked on to learn a few facts about it. The prose is clear and the trivia selected engaging. There’s not much to say about it. It’s a beautifully realized educational tool with value as a piece of interactive art and an early resource for research.

Thoughts? Love to hear them.