One day – and it really is only matter of time – humans will set foot on the surfaces of other far-flung worlds in our Solar System, leaving the Earth and Moon far behind to wander the valleys of Mars, trek across the ice of Europa, and perhaps even soar through the skies of Titan like winged creatures from ancient legends. But until then we must rely on the exploration of our robotic emissaries and our own boundless imagination and curiosity to picture what such voyages would be like. Here in “Wanderers,” video artist Erik Wernquist has used both resources in abundance to visualize fascinating off-world adventures yet to be undertaken by generations to come.
“Without any apparent story, other than what you may fill in by yourself,” wrote Wernquist on his Vimeo page, “the idea of the film is primarily to show a glimpse of the fantastic and beautiful nature that surrounds us on our neighboring worlds – and above all, how it might appear to us if we were there.”
I know I speak for many of us in saying that such exciting times cannot come too soon.
“Maybe it’s a little early, maybe the time is not quite yet, but those other worlds promising untold opportunities beckon.”
— Carl Sagan
Video credit: Erik Wernquist
Carl Sagan had such a great talent for story telling. I miss him very much!
IMO, the best part of this amazing short film is his use of scaling to make the humans appear small and the vistas enormous. Again, IMO, the only “bad” part, and I wonder if Phil P. would back me up on this, cinema-getting-the-science-wrong observation; would it even be possible to float in only a space suit of any imaginably kind through Saturn’s rings?? If the Space Station needs to alter course for any debris, riding the rings would seem to be insane.
~ …and Carl Sagan’s wonderfully warm voice and perfect words always make me at least a little misty…. ~
That was a great, great short clip, and the music, inspiring. Sagan had such a great choice of words and diction. I’m left wanting for more…
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((I really hope we find effective and long-lasting ways to nullify the lethal radiation in Space, around Jupiter, etc., or not much will be possible.))
So realistic! So fantastic!! Everything to proper scale, so I got to “see” Saturn with is fabulous ring distinctly from one of its far off moons, and then the fiery Jupiter from one of its closer moons! Even the ‘colonies’ of human habitats, their locomotion in extra terrestrial worlds, how intricately believable, though they pass of in a few seconds!
All in all a tantalizing surrealistic voyage! thank you Mr. @jpmajor