Introduction

Who are we? How’d we get here? Where are we going? These existential questions serve not only a retrospection of ourselves as a collective species or individual but goes beyond us into the universe and the effects transverses back to the relationship we have with ourselves and this planet. Throughout our human existence, we have been curious to understand our solar system and the universe. The universe containing planets, stars, galaxies, dust clouds, and even time. It holds the story of our existence. Our ancestors have explored and documented our solar system and the universe. This timeline aims to give a history of that journey through data visualizations.

Process

I used University Knight Lab’s open source tool Timeline JS which creates digital interactive timelines. The site provides an Excel spreadsheet template with column features that is then used to generate the timeline. The following features I used were year, headline, text, media url source, and background color.

Material

I sourced 6 data visualizations that revolve around the solar system and universe from Understanding the World: The Atlas of Infographics by Sandra Rendgen. The following images were then collected from Google Images.

Results

Timeline (Data Visualization Evolution of the Universe)

Due to time constraints for this assignment, I would love to revisit this project in the future and curate it further to focus on archival/contemporary data visualizations specifically from Latin America that revolves around this same theme. Given my background as a Web Developer. I would then create a website that integrates mixed media into a custom timeline. This project would allow me to focus further on responsive and interactive design.

Sources

“Astronomical Diagram: Transparent Solar System.” Science Museum Group Collection, https://collection.sciencemuseumgroup.org.uk/objects/co489237/astronomical-diagram-transparent-solar-system-diagram-astronomy. Accessed 20 Sept. 2021.

Channel, National Geographic. “Mission Saturn Space GIF by National Geographic Channel – Find & Share on GIPHY.” GIPHY, GIPHY, 28 Aug. 2017, https://giphy.com/gifs/natgeochannel-space-nasa-wQOWdWdmwYnVS.

“Comparative Magnitudes of the Planets.” David Rumsey Historical Map Collection The Collection, https://www.davidrumsey.com/luna/servlet/detail/RUMSEY~8~1~283956~90056376:Comparative-Magnitudes-of-the-Plane. Accessed 20 Sept. 2021.

LePan, Nicholas. “Watching the Sky Fall: Visualizing a Century of Meteorites | Markets Insider.” Markets.Businessinsider.Com, markets.businessinsider.com, 19 Oct. 2019, https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/watching-the-sky-fall-visualizing-a-century-of-meteorites-1028612631.

“Looking for Signs of Life on Other Planets | Looking for Sig… | Flickr.” Flickr, https://www.flickr.com/photos/nhawtin/6169109528. Accessed 20 Sept. 2021.

“Mildly Educational/Interesting Things to Favourite and Forget – Mildly Interesting Post | National Geographic Maps, Scale of the Universe, Universe.” Pinterest, https://www.pinterest.com/pin/33917803429527189/. Accessed 20 Sept. 2021.

“Planet Size Comparison.” NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) – Robotic Space Exploration, https://jpl.nasa.gov/, https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/infographics/planet-size-comparison. Accessed 20 Sept. 2021.