Spheres Chapter 3 takes us from nothingness through the big bang, to the formation of galaxies and then we travel past some of the planets in our solar system like Jupiter and Mars until we cross the moon and then we see the big picture of Earth. As we travel through the universe, we hear sounds from the cosmic microwave background radiation and different sounds of the planets.

I wish that the sounds of the universe sections were a bit more clear as to what they actually are and what their source is. It sounds like there is always a music track but then sometimes you point your controller and you hear the “planet”. What does that actually mean? Is that sound actually directly from the planet? Does the music track actually feature only sounds from the universe or is this composed music? For an educational video, I wish they were a bit more clear on these things. But, sound is still a strength of this project.

As we come upon Earth, we hear the very different sounds that humans make. This is a neat interactive element since when you touch the Earth in different spots, it lights up and we hear people speaking in different languages.

This chapter ends with the narrator speculating about human extinction based on the fact that we have used up so much of the Earth’s resources in such a short amount of time, cosmically speaking. The sounds of the universe will continue on without us, but who will be around to hear these sounds?

The end attempts to inspire climate action and it does encourage us to take better care of the Earth, which is great, however, it comes off as trying to be philosophically profound without making much of a point. Yes, if humans go extinct the universe (probably) will still exist, but hearing the sounds of the universe is not the greatest reason for climate action. It comes across as a bit forced, when really what I found most impactful was the beauty of the Earth and the wonderful sounds that humans make. Now, I am a fan of people so I see the lights and all the activity on Earth and, to me, that’s the real marvel.

It is critical that we find ways to protect ourselves from extinction, but I’m going to do it so that those lights and those voices can continue on, not simply because extinction means no one is around to hear the sounds of the universe.

Technical Specs:
Various languages – can choose what language to view it in
Animation
360 Degrees – can see all around, and the project makes us of much of the space
Voice over Narration
Interactive Elements
Educational