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This is because light is a wave
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Secrets of Size: Atoms to Supergalaxies

This is because light is a wave, so objects which are smallerthan its wavelength are...

This is because light is a wave, so objects which are smaller
than its wavelength are impossible to see clearly, which means
optical microscopes hit a wall at about 1,000th of a millimetre

Full Transcript

00:00:01.000 --> 00:00:03.639
This is because light is a wave,
00:00:03.064 --> 00:00:07.079
so objects which are smaller than its wavelength
00:00:07.008 --> 00:00:09.599
are impossible to see clearly,
00:00:09.006 --> 00:00:13.279
which means optical microscopes hit a wall
00:00:13.028 --> 00:00:16.279
at about 1,000th of a millimetre.
Duration
16 seconds
Views
14
Timestamp in Movie
00:12:11
Uploaded
May 06, 2025
Season
1
Episode
1
Genres
documentary

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Movie Summary

In this mind-bending series, Jim Al-Khalili explores the vast range of size in the universe, from tiny atoms to gigantic, interconnected galaxies.
S01 • E02 Half past seven, and we're due to launch in about three and a half - Secrets of Size: Atoms to Supergalaxies 00:07
Half past seven, and we're due to launch in about three...
S01 • E01 So the next step downwards - Secrets of Size: Atoms to Supergalaxies 00:14
So the next step downwards
S01 • E02 You see it launch and then we get this feeling. - Secrets of Size: Atoms to Supergalaxies 00:04
You see it launch and then we get this feeling.
S01 • E02 It's like a vibration of the launch because it's such a powerful event. - Secrets of Size: Atoms to Supergalaxies 00:05
It's like a vibration of the launch because it's s...
S01 • E01 I've found a bit of old technology, - Secrets of Size: Atoms to Supergalaxies 00:06
I've found a bit of old technology,
S01 • E02 It just makes you tingle because you know that it's your baby, almost. - Secrets of Size: Atoms to Supergalaxies 00:05
It just makes you tingle because you know that it's you...
S01 • E02 I'd already been working on the project for 13 years at that point. - Secrets of Size: Atoms to Supergalaxies 00:04
I'd already been working on the project for 13 years at...
S01 • E01 I've taken the back off this old TV set, - Secrets of Size: Atoms to Supergalaxies 00:09
I've taken the back off this old TV set,
S01 • E02 Wow. And to have such a personal connection - Secrets of Size: Atoms to Supergalaxies 00:06
Wow. And to have such a personal connection
S01 • E01 This bit, the cathode, boils off electrons - Secrets of Size: Atoms to Supergalaxies 00:12
This bit, the cathode, boils off electrons
S01 • E02 For Solar Orbiter's instruments to work at all, - Secrets of Size: Atoms to Supergalaxies 00:10
For Solar Orbiter's instruments to work at all,
S01 • E02 The heat shield is always pointed at the sun, - Secrets of Size: Atoms to Supergalaxies 00:10
The heat shield is always pointed at the sun,
S01 • E01 Now, ordinarily on a TV set, - Secrets of Size: Atoms to Supergalaxies 00:16
Now, ordinarily on a TV set,
S01 • E02 The instrument that Tim and Helen built is a magnetometer. - Secrets of Size: Atoms to Supergalaxies 00:05
The instrument that Tim and Helen built is a magnetometer.
S01 • E01 Now, because electrons are negatively charged, - Secrets of Size: Atoms to Supergalaxies 00:06
Now, because electrons are negatively charged,
S01 • E02 The heat shield can get to temperatures of up to 500 degrees - Secrets of Size: Atoms to Supergalaxies 00:18
The heat shield can get to temperatures of up to 500 degrees
S01 • E01 And to show that, I've got a small magnet at the end of this stick, - Secrets of Size: Atoms to Supergalaxies 00:12
And to show that, I've got a small magnet at the end of...
S01 • E02 Because although it's cold, it's a stable temperature, - Secrets of Size: Atoms to Supergalaxies 00:06
Because although it's cold, it's a stable temperat...
S01 • E01 That's because there are three electron beams, - Secrets of Size: Atoms to Supergalaxies 00:06
That's because there are three electron beams,
S01 • E02 The Orbiter takes photographs of the sun's surface - Secrets of Size: Atoms to Supergalaxies 00:08
The Orbiter takes photographs of the sun's surface