hello and welcome to soothing pods sleep stories today we're going to take a relaxing journey of cosmic wonder beyond our atmosphere and deep into our very own solar system we will dance with the stars and touch the surfaces of distant planets before we sail into the magic that is space let us find comfort in the space we are in here and now lie flat in your bed and allow yourself to sink into the mattress isn't it so nice to lie down in a place where you can truly relax there is nothing to do b
ut allow your body the restful night of sleep that it deserves with every breath you take imagine your body becoming weightless like an astronaut in space picture all the tension and pressure melting away from your muscles imagine the muscles in your neck relaxing feel the instant relief that washes over you as those muscles sink into the plush pillow underneath you now picture yourself floating above the bed effortlessly your back and shoulders fully unwinding and giving you a wonderful sense o
f relief as i begin my story and we sail through space carry this weightless feeling with you and find comfort in it your body deserves to feel complete and total relaxation and tonight that is possible now that we have taken a moment to unwind let us begin our exploration into our cosmic backyard imagine yourself in a small cozy pod you're laying on a plush mattress so comfortable and inviting that you feel as though you are being cradled by a cloud the pod is full of soft warm fabrics and touc
hes of deep mahogany wood that almost make you feel as though you are in a cozy cabin on a cool winter day above you the vines of several leafy plants all entwine with one another painting the ceiling in wonderful shades of green a mosaic of nature before your very eyes but to the right of you the real beauty can be found there is a curved window that spans the entire pod from the floor to the ceiling beyond the window you see it a blue sphere in a sea of inky black sky it is impossibly beautifu
l spinning ever so slowly like a living marble crisscrossed with swirls of white and puffs of cottony clouds in the midst of all the blue there is a collage of colors the vibrant greens of the brazilian rainforest the rusty reds of african deserts the sepia tops that somehow seem so small now this is our home and from here it is almost more beautiful than it has ever been on the surface you're hovering hundreds of miles above africa watching in wonder as nightfall sweeps across this perfect litt
le globe you can see historic cities across russia india and china come to life with lights each cluster of lights glowing like fireflies in a jar is another city hundreds of homes all standing together reminding space that they are there in the sunlight you can see a world that looks entirely different there are brilliant swirls of white that feather against the atmosphere spiraling in mesmerizing patterns across oceans and continents between these hazy blankets of white you can make out the to
pography of the surface you can see the mediterranean sea with its marbled streaks of blue and breathtaking turquoise strips that wind around the edges of greece and italy you can see the ripples of the atlas mountains below you and in the distance you can see the sloping rise and fall of the swiss alps their white and granite peaks practically sparkling against the evergreen ground below for a moment a sense of longing and wonder washes over you you place your hand against the window and feel t
he cool touch of the glass you gaze out at the sparkling lights of one of the cities in asia thinking about how many people are going about their daily lives there there are people getting married people having the best night of their life people curled up watching movies on their couch if you move your eyes to the left you find yourself staring at a mountain range there are towns and villages tucked into the darkness there you imagine peaceful families farming in the day and resting in bed list
ening to the sounds of nature at night from here the world seems so connected the lines of countries and continents all blur together until they are one all sharing the same purpose all sharing the same space in unity think of all the wonders just on the other side of that atmosphere the lush forests the simplicity and resilience of the stark white arctic the winding rivers and the valleys overflowing with wildlife and vegetation alike how fortunate we are to live in a place that provides for us
so abundantly truly we are fortunate for more reasons than one the earth is the only planet in our vast solar system that is able to sustain life we are around 92.3 million miles away from the sun the perfect distance to provide us with the warmth sunlight and most importantly the energy that we need our atmosphere is made up of six different layers composed of the perfect mix of nitrogen oxygen argon and several other elements that work almost like a jacket these layers trap in the sun's energ
y creating a perfect environment to sustain life much like a jacket these layers also keep harmful things away from the earth's surface ensuring that uv rays and meteorites stay at bay every element of the earth is in serendipitous union with one another the atmosphere keeps us protected and creates a habitat where plants animals and microorganisms can live with everything they need the plants animals and microorganisms in turn help one another thrive from plants providing us with oxygen to anim
als pollinating the land and keeping the delicate balance of our forests stable there is a beautiful harmony happening all around us even with that harmony even as we enjoy the bounty of our stunning planet we still find ourselves looking up for answers looking up for more as we lay in the cool grass on a summer day or stare up at the sky after a night downtown or even take a simple peek out our window we are mesmerized by the stars and we always have been astronomy is the oldest of the natural
sciences dating back to antiquity for thousands of years humans and their ancestors have sat around crackling fires and looked up at the sky in wonder there are cave drawings from the paleolithic area depicting stars and temples dedicated to the sun and stars that are peppered all over the world from central america to the middle east there is comfort in our ancestral innate desire to dream about what is beyond our own planet that is why tonight we will venture into the far reaches of our solar
system to truly see its beauty mystery and allure our journey begins far far away from earth 67.8 million miles away to be precise here you find yourself floating peacefully beside mercury the closest planet to the sun the sun shines to the left of you a massive ball of hydrogen and helium that has been providing energy and light to the universe for 4.6 billion years from here it looks like nothing but a bright white light a lamp hanging over the room that is our universe it shines brightly defi
antly almost against the black expanse of space it is this light this power and energy emanating from a star that provides us with everything we need to survive and mercury receives that energy as well you glance down to the surface of mercury and see a silvery gray planet it almost looks like our moon and is in fact nearly the same size as earth's moon mercury is a planet whose beauty can be found in the textures that rise and fall across its rocky surface every mile brings with it a new shade
of silver a new topography a new cluster of landmarks you float ever so slowly over this planet of mountains and valleys and craters there are deep bowl-like circles imprinted into the gray surface of mercury it almost looks as if it is an art project a lump of clay with smooth fingerprints left behind these craters and ridges are impressions left behind by meteorites over millions of years that have collided with the planet each individual crater came to be after a million mile long journey by
these meteors heaps of rock ice and metals that have spiraled off the tails of a comet or fallen away from asteroids sailing through space mercury is peppered in these craters its surface entirely sculpted by the will of the comets and asteroids all around it as you fly over you gaze deep down into these craters and imagine yourself in them can you imagine yourself staring up at the otherworldly peak of a tall grey mountain silhouetted by the white sun just behind it imagine the space dust shift
ing and dancing around your feet with every step you take the tiny silver particles glistening in the sunlight moving for the first time since they were scattered on the planet ages ago mercury is a planet of mystery and intrigue and has been so for centuries it was named after the roman messenger god who was known for being quick on his feet because mercury is so close to the sun about 36 million miles it is only visible from the earth's surface in beautiful fleeting moments around twilight its
quick and brief appearance was studied and revered by the ancient romans who often found themselves staring up at the sky like we still do to this very day you take one last look at the craggy and wild surface of mercury your eyes journey from planes of smooth rock and up and down through ridges of craters as you bid mercury farewell your cozy pod smoothly makes its way to the next wonderful planet in our solar system which is perhaps one of the most beautiful you find yourself curled up in you
r soft blanket sinking into your mattress as you look out of your window at venus beautiful thick clouds yellow and white whirl around the planet like oil spiraling atop a globe of water this hazy blanket of clouds is eternal a thick storm forever trapped within the atmosphere of the planet the clouds are made of almost entirely carbon dioxide though they are beautiful from afar swaying and twirling around the planet so smoothly you would not want to journey within the tempest sulfuric rain pour
s from these heavy clouds down onto the surface of venus almost constantly thick drops of rain cascade from the sky persisting a rainstorm with no beginning and no end you can practically hear the rain on the outside of your cozy pod just thinking about it you listen closely and imagine each individual drop dancing across the roof and splitting until they begin to cascade down the window you imagine the streaks on the window each drop will leave behind as they slowly course over the glass meldin
g with other drops and splitting off on their own as they make their way to the bottom of the window you can hear the rhythm of the rain always falling and colliding in sync with one another one of nature's finest symphonies even on other planets beneath this brilliant haze and storm the surface of venus is an entirely different world you can see small hints of the world below as you inch closer to the planet the surface of venus is a brilliant rusty brown that is mountainous and breathtaking un
like mercury there are no craters on venus the storm in its atmosphere prevents any meteors from reaching the interior of the planet instead what you will find on venus is a landscape that rivals the mountains and valleys on earth much of venus is made up of vast rolling plains of vibrant red soil these planes stretch in either direction until they reach the mountains and volcanoes that are scattered across the planet the mountains some taller than everest seem to reach up and touch the cloudy a
tmosphere they are covered in rounded domes and craggy features all left behind by century-old lava flow plumes of smoke rise from cracks in the earth and dance up to meet the clouds above imagine yourself sailing through this landscape shifting around the mammoth mountains dipping down and running along the smooth basins of the plains and plateaus safe and comfortable inside your pod you are not exposed to the true elements that affect venus's surface because the clouds in venus's atmosphere ar
e so thick heat is trapped on the planet during the day temperatures can reach 800 degrees making venus the hottest planet in the solar system even though it is not the closest to the sun we pull back from the surface of venus and look once again at the brilliant atmosphere of the planet the shades of white and yellow all flow independent of one another floating around the globe in what looks like beautiful brush strokes but there are a few dark spots to be found within those gossamers of color
these dark spots are chemically composed to absorb the uv light emitted from the sun and some scientists believe they could be proof that microbial life exists on venus for a moment consider how captivating the thought of life on venus is imagine the microbial life shifting and surviving in the cosmic stew that is venus's atmosphere venus has been a planet full of wonder since it was first discovered because of the makeup of the atmosphere on venus the planet reflects most of the light the sun p
rovides for it this allows venus to be visible from earth resembling an incredibly bright star it is also the origin of its namesake the roman goddess of beauty it's hard to imagine that the very planet we can look up at today was beloved and admired by our ancestors thousands of years ago we will forever be connected to those we have left behind by the stars that hover just above us you look at venus one final time taking in the marbled colors and the splendor of its ever present storm if we we
re truly journeying linearly through the planets in our solar system we would find ourselves at earth next however it is not time for us to journey back home yet there are miles to explore there is stardust to entangle ourselves with and there are other worlds to see so we will pass by earth from afar marveling at its collage of blues whites greens and browns as we continue our cosmic voyage to the next planet mars mars is the closest planet to earth by millions of miles and many people believe
it is close to us in several other ways as well from far away mars looks like a rusty red sphere it shines brightly contrasting with the black backdrop of space but as your pod inches closer and closer to mars an entirely new type of planet reveals itself a planet of breathtaking landscapes and shades of dark red orange and blacks the reddish hue of mars was painted across the landscape by a simple chemical reaction mars's crust is composed of mainly iron over time that iron reacted with trace a
mounts of oxygen found in mars's thin atmosphere with that simple reaction mars was transformed from a gray planet to the stunning red planet it is today you stare out as the reddish orange planet comes closer into view the color alone is marvelous something that was admired by the romans years ago leading them to name the planet after their god of war but as you near the surface it becomes clear that nothing on the planet reflects war it is a world much like our own there are craggy rocky cliff
s that rise like monoliths from long windy prairies of red rock the mountains are mesmerizing so much like our own that it is almost unreal they can exist in such a foreign place the mountains have tall peaks of burnt ember colored stone and ridges that range from crimson to dark muted brick tones it isn't just the mountains that seem to reflect the topography of our beloved earth as you look over the vast expanse of the planet you can see what looks like long winding river beds ravines and basi
ns what you are looking at is a planet that has been carved by water over thousands of years mars was once home to oceans and rivers and lakes for a moment you look in the empty trenches and try to imagine the water coursing through the barren red landscape in the large basin below you there would be an ocean much like our own its blue water sparkling incandescently against the rusty ground there would be rivers twisting and turning through the dry riverbeds floating over rocks and cascading dow
n mountains as misty waterfalls but for now mars is a cold planet with no rivers or lakes or oceans to speak of what little water remains on mars is tucked away in its polar ice caps your pod makes its way up to the top of mars where one of its polar ice caps can be found the white ice cap is strewn around the top of the planet in large ripples rounded arcs of mars's red rocks pop out of the ice reminiscent of the smooth rocks atop everest the swirling design of the ice caps is spellbinding tumb
ling out from the center like a hypnosis spiral the more you stare into it the heavier your eyes feel and the more the mattress underneath you cradles your relaxed body the ice caps on mars are composed of mainly ice and carbon dioxide ice also known as dry ice night begins to fall on mars as you float effortlessly around the polar ice caps and mountains you gaze up at the sky where you see large puffy flakes of snow after sunset in the martian night ice droplets in the atmosphere cool rapidly c
reating strong downward currents these currents pull these cooled ice droplets towards the surface creating micro bursts of snow the snow flurries above your head cascading through the air almost identical to a snowstorm on our home planet you focus on one specific snowflake as it twists and twirls its way down down down closer and closer to the ember red surface of the planet only the snowflake doesn't make it snow rarely settles on the planet but it falls from the atmosphere quite often as swi
ftly as it began the microburst has stopped and only clouds in the atmosphere remain there are many reasons scientists look to mars with hope for humanity's future the red soil and craggy peaks are a near reflection of the mountainous plains in utah or nevada and though the climate of mars is dry and cold there is potential that can be found across the landscape you begin to pull away from mars you watch as the mountains and valleys fade to nothing but swaths of color traced along a red backdrop
still buzzing from mars's wonder you pull your blankets tight around you as you begin the journey to the next planet in our solar system and this planet is one that is a challenge to miss you see it from a distance as an odd reddish sand colored orb as you near the planet you can see the colors revolving around the globe in dozens of strips all moving at different speeds with different hues this is jupiter it was created 4.5 billion years ago and is often considered to be the first planet forme
d in our solar system the planet is made of breathtaking bands of color like watercolors painted across a clear marble the layers of color come in swirls with eddying light and dark patches in every swath of color there are bands of neutral sand and white cozied up against vibrant bands of red that ripple into lighter colors like mountains rising against a clear sky you can't help but watch in awe for a long moment as these hues billow around the massive planet in never-ending motion these color
s are gaseous clouds in jupiter's atmosphere an atmosphere that is 44 miles thick full of storms and numerous chemical compositions in fact nearly all of jupiter is made of gas the planet has no solid surface instead it has a core that is believed to be a dense liquid surrounded by a collection of hydrogen and helium gases these gases make the planet one of the most beautiful in our solar system one that is forever shifting and changing like a painting that is always in motion you find yourself
feeling thankful that something so beautiful exists in our solar system in reality we have a lot to be thankful for when it comes to jupiter jupiter is one of the major reasons why our solar system was able to form as well as it has being the largest planet in our solar system jupiter has the strongest gravitational pull aside from the sun this means many asteroids and meteors that may have damaged other planets were instead pulled towards jupiter jupiter is in a way earth's shield and we should
feel comforted knowing that it is protecting us even though it is millions of miles away named after the king of the roman gods jupiter has caught the eye of scientists and stargazers around the world and not just because of the planet alone jupiter has 79 known moons as you pull away from jupiter in your pod you can't help but look around at the silver moons orbiting around jupiter peacefully there is io ganymede callisto and europa known as the galilean satellites after their discovery by gal
ileo galilei all the way back in 1610 but it is europa that catches your attention the most europa is coated in splashes of color the white surface is lined with cracks of red and blue it is like a gently cracked egg with lines trailing down around the edges in long winding strokes europa has an atmosphere mainly composed of oxygen and has a crust made up of ice and water the lack of craters and mountains on the surface are believed to be because there are oceans under the icy surface of the moo
n many scientists believe that life exists on europa far far away from our home on earth for now that possibility will remain a mystery because there are more planets to explore from jupiter you can already see the glowing rings of saturn in the distance and much like jupiter saturn is composed of shades of sand orange and brown that whirl around the planet as cosmic storms circle the globe the most prevalent of saturn's colors is a stunning gold hue that comes from ammonia crystals in the atmos
phere which create golden clouds saturn has no surface and is composed entirely of gases and liquids like the majority of the outer planets the pigments of saturn's clouds are incredible but it is the rings that draw your attention the rings are divided into seven sections each made of ice and rocks from asteroids comets and moons the rings circle the planet in a blur each section ranging in opacity from a light golden haze to a thick golden band these rings are kept in place by several of satur
n's 50 known moons which are known as shepherding moons these moons orbit between the rings using their gravity to keep the rings in their perfect circular shape as your pod dives through the rings heading back towards the expanse of space you look up to see the rings sparkle in the sunlight the dust particles catch the light illuminating the sky above you in a rippling pattern of gold and white we find ourselves nearing the outermost planets which also happen to be the coldest luckily you are s
afe and warm in your pod you nestle further into your blankets as you await the next wonder that will appear outside your window when you see it a sense of calm washes over you uranus is a blue ocean-like planet made primarily of ammonia ice and water the planet shines with ripples of sapphire azure and cerulean blue it looks like the universe's most inviting ocean a planet that would rival even the finest fairy tale sea you imagine yourself floating peacefully through tropical waves in an ocean
of sparkling blue you can nearly feel water brushing against your skin the rhythm of the sea lulling you towards a restful sleep but you will not find that comfortable ocean swim on uranus even if it looks like a magical place uranus is the coldest planet in the solar system reaching minus 370 degrees fahrenheit with ease the planet also has the distinction of being the only in our solar system to be tilted at a 90 degree angle millions of years ago a collision with a celestial body resulted in
uranus being permanently tilted on its axis even its brilliant blue rings all 13 of them orbit around uranus vertically rather than horizontally as we begin to pull away from uranus take a deep breath our journey through the solar system has been long and relaxing and we are nearing the final planet on our trip tonight neptune is affectionately named after the roman god of the ocean as the massive planet comes into view it becomes incredibly clear how aptly named this celestial body is neptune
looks like a globe encased by a vast spinning ocean gossamers of white and light blue clouds wave against a dark blue planet it is truly like looking at the earth's oceans from space the light and dark shades fade seamlessly into one another the atmosphere whips up storms unlike any other in the universe reaching speeds of up to 1 200 miles per hour these storms eternally circle around the distant planet in neptune's atmosphere one large moon shines brighter than all the rest triton neptune's la
rgest moon has a surface of condensed nitrogen that is so cold it is a frost giving the planet a reflective icy sheen as you fly past triton on your way back towards earth you can't help but marvel it all the wonders this solar system has to offer from hot arid planets composed of red rocks to icy moons covered in frost the universe is a place of extremes and mystery you curl up tighter in your bed as the planets pass before your eyes you float by uranus saturn jupiter and mars until you find yo
urself heading towards earth the familiar blue greens and whites put your heart and mind at ease to live on a planet so incredible in a universe so vast is one of the biggest blessings as your pod comes in for a gentle landing and the mountains rivers and oceans inch closer and closer towards you you feel your eyes growing heavy this is home and it is wonderful i hope this journey into space has helped ease you towards a night of restful and relaxing sleep if you enjoyed this please feel free to
join me tomorrow for another story until then thank you for listening and sweet dreams hello and welcome to soothing pond sleep stories my name is arif and tonight i will be your guide as we leave earth behind and embark on a soothing journey into the depths of our solar system where vibrant planets stars and cosmic wonder await us before we begin however let us take a moment to relax and find comfort in the space that we are in allow your body to relax into the mattress in your usual sleeping
position take a second to really appreciate the feeling of your body sinking down down down down into the mattress below you cradling you remember that here there are no expectations or obligations all you have to do now is simply listen to the sound of my voice and allow your body to do what it naturally does your body knows what you need and it will soon provide you with the rest that you deserve as you breathe in and out slowly pay attention to how that breath makes your body feel imagine the
dark air around you full of tiny glistening stars as you breathe in picture those stars floating in with the breath lighting up your chest with comfort and warmth notice how the stars glow brighter in your chest as the air provides your body with nourishment allowing your muscles to relax as you exhale picture those stars floating up to the ceiling above you peppering it with a cloud of twinkling stars continue with this exercise and know that you can turn back to it anytime you need comfort wh
en you breathe in those stars are melting away the tension that we gather throughout the day and when you breathe out those stars are floating up to the ceiling where they will rest taking with them any tension that you may have had imagine the muscles in your neck relaxing slowly slowly slowly slowly as you breathe in and out the muscles in your shoulders and back relaxing slowly slowly slowly slowly as you breathe in and out trail down your body picturing your arms and legs slowly losing tensi
on as those stars relieve you of all the pressure you've been carrying here you are free to simply be breathe with the stars relish in the coziness of your bed your haven and know that no matter what you always have this safe place that you can return to the stars are always with you for you carry them with you wherever you go now that we have taken some time to relax and find comfort in the space that we are in let us begin our journey into the universe beyond earth into the cosmic backyard tha
t all of us share you find yourself deep deep in the woods of earth it is summer and the forest around you is alive with the soothing sounds of nighttime in the mountains there are crickets chirping owls hooting in the far distance calling back and forth to one another across the pine tree-coated expanse of forest there's a gentle breeze dancing and shifting its way through the trees causing the bonfire at your feet to crackle just a bit louder in the far distance you can even hear the bubbling
of a creek where deer and porcupines and bunnies alike all gather to drink during the day this is earth our planet a planet that provides us with all we need and more there are lush trees and plants all around you that grow delicious food there are animal friends who keep us company and provide us with wonder day in and day out there are glacier-fed streams full of icy water that refreshes us and relaxes us and then there's more there are canyons so deep it looks as though the land was cut from
the earth by the heavens there are mountaintops so high that you can see across the beautiful landscape for miles there are fields of wildflowers so colorful so vast that they can bring a tear to the eye of the most cynical person alive and then there is you you with all your quirks and stories and fantastic qualities you who makes the world a better place simply by being in it you who decides on this day that you want to see a little bit more you turn your back to your home for the night a smal
l tiny cabin it is a cabin made of glass walls and windows with small mahogany frames holding it together in the center of the room is a plush bed piled high with fluffy blankets and pillows in the corner of the room there is a small wood stove fireplace expertly crafted of cast iron embellished with tiny stars and moons and planets in that wood stove a tiny fire crackles just enough to lull you closer to sleep and warm up the tiny one-room home that will be your vessel for the fantastical journ
ey ahead of you you lie down in the bed sinking underneath the blankets and curling up on the pillows and slowly ever so slowly your journey begins the tiny home you are in rises up out of the forest so smoothly and effortlessly that it feels as though you are simply floating you press up and up and up and up rising higher and higher above the forest as you lounge comfortably in bed watching the landscape transform below you and then not long after you get to see the world and the forest you hav
e left behind from an entirely different perspective to the side of you earth is suspended in an ocean of inky blackness it is a sphere of blue and green painted with swaths of fluffy white clouds that swirl and ghost across the vibrant landscape and my what a vibrant landscape it truly is those mountains that seemed so large only moments ago [Music] are now mere paint strokes of sepia tones across the land catching the rays of the sun with a brilliant contrast there are breathtaking swaths of e
merald sage and evergreen forests in russia brazil and canada all flourishing with their own species their own trees their own climate thousands of miles apart there's the red of the gobi desert in mongolia and the expansive outback of australia then there are the oceans the coasts of new zealand are such a vibrant light blue that it almost seems unreal the waters of the black sea are a kaleidoscope of light and dark blues surrounded by lush forests and hillsides for a moment you lie in your bed
and look out at this world this living marble spinning in an expanse of black and you feel peace that is our home that is your home and it will be waiting patiently for your return as daylight sweeps across africa and europe you watch in amazement the glowing city lights are slowly transformed as the cities come alive with color the greens of their parks the white of the snow-capped mountains the blue of the rivers laced through them you gaze down as cairo florence and prague come alive as the
new day dawns for a moment you think about all the people in those cities and the beautiful countryside in between them all those people who you will never cross paths with who have hobbies and passions and love that is entirely unique to them and in that instant you realize that sometime later once the day has calmed and they are safely relaxing they will turn their gaze up to the sky the same as you do we are all connected all sharing in this human experience all turning to the stars in the co
smos for comfort and wonder and truly how fortunate we are to live in a place of such abundance there are those towering sepia mountaintops mighty rivers like the yangtze and the nile there's this dark white antarctic the dense and wild amazonian jungle the humbling granite steeples of yosemite the otherworldly glaciers of iceland the flourishing flowers and the fjords of the scandinavia it is truly remarkable when you take a step back and really consider it and yet even as we thrive with the ab
undance the beautiful world has provided us with we find ourselves gazing up into the inky black sky looking for answers to questions we don't even know how to ask we find ourselves looking up to find our place in the world and find our world's place in the universe and in this we are not alone our ancestors have been looking up to the stars with that same sentimentality that same desire for more answers since the very beginning of time temples dedicated to the stars and the stories and answers
that can be found within them are peppered around the globe in caves drawings dated back to the paleolithic era show that even the very first humans had a deep admiration for the stars they sat around crackling fires looking to space just like we do today and just like you are now in your tiny cabin sitting beside your wood stove as you gaze out over the earth but to truly understand how fortunate we are to call earth our home we must travel to the far reaches of our solar system and see what th
e other planets look like we will start our journey at the farthest planet from earth at least the farthest planet from the earth since pluto was reclassified as a dwarf planet back in 2006. this planet's namesake ties into the stories that our ancestors told to make sense of the universe hundreds of years ago neptune was named after the roman god of the ocean and as the planet comes into view it is abundantly clear how it got its name neptune is a brilliant globe of blue popping out of the blac
kness of space with so many vibrant hues it looks unreal the planet is a deep dark blue wrapped in a swirling sea of white and sapphire clouds which seem to dance and sway as the planet lazily spins around and around and around and around however there is something about this planet that is far from idle neptune's atmosphere is constantly swirling with a powerful intense storm where winds can reach speeds of up to 1200 miles or 1900 kilometers per hour these storms are endless and fierce making
neptune far far from hospitable but it certainly makes the planet gorgeous these thick stunning clouds are composed of methane which coat the surface of the planet the unseen surface is a combination of ammonia methane and pressurized water you sink a bit deeper into your bed as you gaze out at neptune you watch a hazy white cloud make its way around the planet a planet which is four times wider than earth and houses much more power and with a name like neptune that seems to fit you pull a book
off the shelf beside you a book on roman mythology as the fire crackles crackles crackles crackles beside you you slowly flip the pages to reach a passage on neptune the depiction of him shows a slightly angry man holding a trident as he sits on a chariot led by mythical seahorses in those weathered pages you learn that neptune was not only the god of the seas and of water but the god of storms as well many people prayed to neptune for good fortune and safe travels as they set out over the ocean
s on earth the same ones that you watched daylight sweep over only moments ago he was powerful in his own domain able to summon storms at a moment's notice and here on his own planet he's never stopped it seems entirely fitting that this planet of pressurized water this planet that looks like a globe of expansive oceans would be his namesake and for just a moment you wonder what our ancient ancestors would have thought if they had been watching the view just beyond your window next to neptune th
ere is something peculiar a large moon that glows brighter than the other thirteen a moon that is so shiny it looks almost like a star this moon is named triton and it is unique for more reasons than one it is the only large moon to orbit in the opposite direction of its planet's rotation known as a retrograde orbit it is also believed to be what is called a kuiper belt object the kuiper belt is a crescent-shaped group of icy bodies that is found near pluto far beyond neptune it is a region of b
its of rock and ice that were left over from our universe's early history pluto itself is a member of the kuiper belt and it is thought that triton was a piece of this belt which was drawn in by neptune's powerful gravitational pull thousands and thousands and thousands of years ago that is part of the reason why triton looks so similar to pluto [Music] it has a silver surface peppered with icy plains pits formed by icy lava flows and mounds indeed there is a lot of ice on triton the moon is so
cold that its thin atmosphere is almost entirely composed of nitrogen which condenses as frost on the planet's surface this frost gives triton a shiny otherworldly glow reflecting around 70 percent of the sun's rays and again its name comes from the mythology of our ancestors though you won't find anything about it in the roman mythology book you still have nestled in your arms triton is named after the son of poseidon the greek equivalent of neptune you tuck your book away and lean back in your
bed truly appreciating the warmth of the wood stove by your feet neither neptune nor triton would be hospitable both have temperatures well below negative 300 degrees fahrenheit or negative 180 degrees celsius and surfaces made of gas and ice you gaze at the wood crackling underneath the orange flames wood that you gathered from a pine tree in the woods by the cabin wood that the earth provided you with as you savor the heat pumping out of the tiny celestially designed wood stove you feel a new
found appreciation for it you silently say goodbye to neptune triton and the other 12 moons as your tiny cabin begins to move once again crossing the galaxy at lightning speed and yet it feels this though you are hardly moving you are curled up in your soft bed not jarred by the motion of space gliding past you at all you watch as stars come and go as you dip around stray asteroids making their way through the universe much like you are now you take a few deep breaths truly appreciating where yo
u are and then you see something in the distance something growing nearer and nearer and nearer and nearer yet another globe of blue only this time that globe is tilted on its axis this planet is uranus which is sometimes referred to as the sideways planet this is because the planet rotates on its side and is the only planet to do so millions of years ago a celestial body collided with uranus tilting its axis of rotation now all this time later the planet is still fixed in that same position as
it orbits around the sun and rotates it also has rings vibrant blue rings that pop against the dark backdrop of space these thirteen rings rotate vertically rather than horizontally the only planet to have this distinction uranus much like neptune is a globe of blue which swirls with a mosaic of cerulean azur and cyan it looks like an ocean plucked out of a child's fairy tale book a planet full of magical creatures just underneath the surface mermaids and serpents and creatures that only someone
like neptune or poseidon could command and there is a fairy tale storybook quality to this planet while most moons are named after mythological characters the 26 moons of uranus are named for shakespearean characters and characters from alexander pope's novels just a few of the moons that you see before you are puck ophelia juliet umbriel titania rosalind cordelia francisco ferdinand it's hard to imagine how shakespeare or alexander pope would react to such an honor being bestowed on them moons
that they didn't even know existed being named after their characters you glance to your bookshelf where a collection of alexander pope's poetry resides you pluck the book off the shelf as you open it the crack of the old spine resembles the crackle of the fire at your feet the book is worn and old with an aroma that makes you feel as though you are sitting in a cozy library in the countryside with a cup of tea as you tuck into the book and sink deeper under your covers your journey through spa
ce continues you feel utterly at peace when you finally glance up from your book you are met with one of the largest planets in our solar system saturn and the color of this brilliant planet is completely unlike anything you've seen so far saturn is a wash with shades of brown rust orange and sand which whirl and swirl around the planet glistening in the sunlight on occasion there is a gold hue that is unlike anything you've ever seen and for good reason saturn can attribute its distinct shade o
f gold to the ammonia crystals in the atmosphere which gather together to create merry gold clouds there is really nothing but clouds on saturn much like neptune there is a cosmic storm constantly brewing on the planet there is no surface to saturn and the planet itself is composed entirely of gases and liquids namely hydrogen and helium then of course there are the rings some are milky and opaque while others are a thick band of gold these seven bands are made of thousands of ringlets which are
composed of ice and rock that has been gathered from moons asteroids and comets and though there is no surface to this planet it is named after the roman god of agriculture under saturn's rule it is said that humans enjoyed a great bounty with little to no labor and yet the only abundance that saturn provides is an abundance of beauty the planet itself cannot sustain life however it is estimated that some of its moons can currently saturn has 53 confirmed moons and another 29 moons that are awa
iting confirmation two of these moons enceladus and titan are of interest to scientists because their oceans have potential to possibly support life next you find yourself floating floating floating floating floating towards the next planet in our solar system it isn't long before you are hovering before the largest planet jupiter at 11 times the size of earth it is a behemoth of a celestial body and the beauty it holds is truly otherworldly jupiter is like a droplet of water that has had tiny d
rops of paint brushed across it there are bands of red and sand and orange which all circle around the planet at their own unique speed these colors swirl with a magical quality a true mosaic of warm hues with coruscating light and shadow flickering across it as you look closer you realize that these cloudy colors billowing around the planet are just that clouds [Music] jupiter's atmosphere is made up of gaseous clouds composed mainly of hydrogen and helium and the center of the planet is believ
ed to be a dense liquid of some kind jupiter is named after the king of roman gods this apt name matches its title as the largest planet in the solar system in addition jupiter has the largest number of known moons clocking in at 79 it's hard to believe that if there was a surface of jupiter to stand on you could look out and see 79 moons at night lighting up the sky one of these moons europa has drawn the attention of people around the world and not just for its beauty europa is unlike any othe
r moon it is a wash with color a white surface with a spider web of cracks that stretch across it colored bright reds and blues these cracks trail all the way down the surface of the moon creating an entirely unique color scheme that is simply breathtaking but it is the chemical composition that makes people particularly interested in this planet the atmosphere is mainly made of oxygen and its surface is composed of ice and water with oxygen and water present it is estimated that in some form li
fe exists on europa and what a fitting tale that would be to have life across the ocean of europa the moon is named after the greek myth of zeus and europa a story where europa was whisked across the mediterranean sea by zeus who was madly in love with her she began a new life on the island of crete a life far far away from everyone else and indeed if there is life on europa it is far far away from the other life in our galaxy you pull the blankets up over your body holding them a little closer
under your chin the fire crackles at your feet stories of greek and roman myths and poetry surround you in worn comforting books you take one last look at jupiter and its vibrant rings and cloudy atmosphere before you continue on floating through space and next you find yourself at the planet that is closest to your own mars the relatively small planet is a stunning complex landscape of red orange black and sand the reddish hue can be attributed to the iron that makes up the crust of mars howeve
r people in ancient times had a different idea of how that color came to be mars is named after the roman god of war who happened to be the son of jupiter after seeing the warm hues of jupiter it seems fitting that the gods the two planets were named after would be related in roman mythology mars had an affair with venus the goddess of love and beauty and though we won't be visiting venus today there is something rather poetic about the fact that we can see both planets with our naked eye and as
you gaze upon mars up close with your naked eye you are astounded by how much it resembles the landscape of earth though it is missing the life that we are so fortunate to have there are rocky cliffs valleys and mountains windswept rust-colored prairies that look as though they've been plucked out of the desert in the southwestern united states the colors are a range of bright crimson and burnt ember brilliantly peppered across the land but the most surprising parts of the planet are the riverb
eds and basins that stretch across the landscape seeing those types of formations with nothing but stars overhead and earth in the distance evokes indescribable feelings mars was formed by water millions of years ago there were once lakes oceans and rivers which are now long gone leaving only an imprint on the planet in their place you sail over this rocky and magical landscape floating around the tall peaks and down into the deep canyons it is hard to imagine that once there could have been lif
e here the wind whips around you on mars kicking up dust clouds you huddle a little more scooting closer to that wood stove by your feet this exploration has been an adventure a journey that has brought you a new level of appreciation for our universe but now there is another planet calling your name slowly you rise from mars and begin your journey back to earth as you grow closer and closer you can see that a full day has passed on the planet the day that you observed sweep across europe and af
rica has come to a close and now all those cities and towns are becoming illuminated as their citizens hunker down for the night in their cozy homes the greens and blues of your home planet bring you a level of peace you've never experienced there's a newfound appreciation for this beautiful planet we call home out of all the planets you visited today out of all the moons you passed by this place right here is the only place where we can comfortably live as you descend down down down to the grou
nd back to your mountaintop retreat in the woods you marvel at the world around you the lush trees the flourishing meadows the bubbling streams something you once took for granted that you no longer will your tiny cabin lands gently exactly where it left from the forest is dark aside from what is illuminated by the glow of your cabin you walk to the glass door and slide it open as the fresh air washes over you you feel invigorated you can smell the pines the lilacs the lavender the woody aroma o
f fallen leaves it is the smell of home with a door open and the fragrant peaceful breeze rolling in you crawl into bed and pull the covers up around your neck you find yourself sinking into the mattress as though a weight has been lifted off your shoulders slowly you find yourself falling asleep you are certain you will have dreams of distant planets of the marvels that can be found within our mysterious and extraordinary solar system and now you gladly welcome them we may not have all the answ
ers but perhaps we don't need them perhaps looking up and wondering knowing everyone around us is doing the same knowing that everyone in history has done the same is enough perhaps we can continue to wonder while still being grateful for what we have i hope this story has helped you reach a night of peaceful sleep please join me again tomorrow for another sleep story until then sweet dreams hello and welcome to soothingpod's sleep stories i am a reef and if you are here today to listen to a dre
amy story that will soothe you and comfort you you are in the right place tonight we will go on a journey of discovery and wonder where we will take a closer look at the universe our beautiful planet and all the things within it before we begin let us take a moment to find peace and comfort in the space we are in close your eyes gently take a deep breath in as you allow your body to fully relax into the mattress this space you are in this comfortable bed in this cozy room is a safe place there a
re no expectations here no things to do but allow yourself the rest that you deserve imagine the room around you full of a glowing golden light the light is warm turning the room into an oasis with each breath you take imagine that golden light filling your lungs feel that warmth traveling inward and expanding through your chest radiating down your arms and legs until it tingles at the ends of your fingertips imagine more and more of that golden light entering your lungs as the warmth expands fe
el the tension in your body unravel your shoulders back wrists and neck are beginning to relax and allow the mattress to fully cradle them with every exhale feel the tension truly leaving your body and dissipating into the air leaving behind nothing but that soothing feeling of calm as i begin my story and we begin our journey together carry that light within you with every breath feel the golden light radiating inside you more and more now that we are cozy and relaxed let us begin it was a cool
summer night on the coast of new england a slight chilly breeze tickled the air shimmying in the open windows of cottage summer homes and billowing the stark white curtains around the crickets and peepers sand their song to the universe creating a marvelous soundscape to love the world to sleep except someone wasn't asleep ruby an eight-year-old girl lay awake in her soft twin-sized bed she rolled around in the crisp linen sheets feeling that gentle breeze brush against her red tinged cheeks th
ere was an energy in the air that beckoned to her inviting her to explore the world in the moonlight ruby knew there were mountains valleys and rivers to explore why this time of night there would even be fireflies dancing across the black night sky there was magic just outside her window and she wanted desperately to slink outside and experience it for herself but there was something else calling to her she heard it softly at first so faint she wasn't entirely sure if she had heard it at all it
sounded almost like a crackling fire she could practically picture the embers cascading down down down to the ashy ground mingling with the remnants of yesterday's fire ruby slowly sat up in her bed her feet dangling inches above the worn hardwood floor she reached under her pillow and pulled out softie a plush stuffed bear with fuzzy brown fur and a lavender scent she hugged softy against her chest and breathed in the soothing aroma of the lavender as she tiptoed into the hall she heard the no
ise again only this time there was another noise alongside it she slunk into the kitchen navigating down the hall using nothing but slivers of moonlight that filtered in through the wide open windows sitting beside the stove there was a sleek black tea kettle steam rose from the spout whirling up in the air in slow swirls until it dissipated into thin air it was in the kitchen that she heard the noise once more the hearty alluring crackle of a fire in the summer night air she tiptoed towards the
door hesitating for a moment to decide whether or not put her shoes on she knew she made the right decision the second her feet sunk into the sweet dewy grass each blade was cool from soaking in the moonlight for hours and with each step into the grass she found herself feeling more and more alive in the distance she could see it a grove of trees illuminating in the glow of a warm bonfire the shadows of the trees danced across the ground as the fire shifted in the breeze she inched across the g
rass taking in long deep breaths that chilled her lungs in the most invigorating way when she came into the grove she discovered the person behind the beautiful bonfire her mother ophelia laid in the grass by the fire ophelia stared up at the sky in wonder as the fire illuminated her face in a new beautiful way ophelia didn't even have to look up to realize her daughter was nearby you and softy can lie right beside me her mother chimed patting the grass right beside her with a smile ruby nestled
into the grass beside her mother out of the corner of her eye she watched the mosaic of colors within the fire the shades of oranges and reds and whites all flowing in unison with one another then ruby turned her attention upwards it was a cloudless beautiful night this far from the city she could see dozens of stars peppered across the sky they all twinkled against the blackness shining incandescently her mother pointed at the brightest star in the sky do you know how far away that is she aske
d in a low gentle whisper ruby shook her head no that's the north star polaris it's 323 light years away but it still feels like we could reach out and touch it doesn't it her mother was right the sky felt so intimately close to them now all those sparkling stars seemed to be within arm's length even though they were millions and millions of miles away why is it there ruby asked her eyes wide her mother couldn't help but smile it was an innocent question an honest one but not one that could be a
nswered lightly or quickly ophelia reached over and gently lifted her daughter's hand into the air she swept it across the night sky in a flamboyant arch like a magician beginning a trick because all this is here ophelia responded and because we are meant to enjoy it ruby looked up at polaris a true spectacle in the sea of black my little ruby ophelia whispered even though polaris is millions and millions of miles away we are still closely connected to it do you know why ruby shook her head unsu
re of the answer but completely entranced in the cosmic tale unfolding before her very eyes polaris is part of our galaxy the milky way the milky way is a beautiful spiral of stars planets gases and asteroids we're on the outside edge of the milky way but everything we see before us is part of the very same community as we are we're all bound together by gravity surrounded by millions of miles of stardust and cosmic wonder ruby's eyes stayed glued to those milky way stars we're in one galaxy in
an expansive universe set out on a tiny arm tucked within a solar system in that solar system we orbit around a massive star that is at just the right distance to give us everything we need the sun makes the grass underneath us and the trees above us green and then those beautiful plants give us the cool night air that's filling our lungs right now ophelia chimed do you see how we're all connected ruby nodded slowly she found her hands running through the grass around her tangling up in every le
af because of the sun and the milky way we can tell each other stories just like our ancestors have for centuries they used to gather around fires and tried to make sense of the world just like we are now ophelia pointed to polaris again and traced her finger down down down until she outlined the big dipper ruby's eyes traveled across the sky tracing invisible lines between the constellations polaris and ursa minor the constellation it is part of have been there for us since the very beginning m
others and daughters just like you and i laid around crackling fires thousands of years ago and talked about this very same thing ophelia turned on her side as she spoke to her daughter in ancient times ursa minor was called the wagon of heaven it has been in every culture throughout history guiding people north and helping them tell mythological tales of zeus of fire and even of dragons ruby's lips turned into a smile of awe and wonder people used to talk about them just like us she asked pulli
ng softie closer against her chest people all over the world kings and queens used to look up at these very same stars from their thrones cavemen used to paint their walls in the moonlight with portraits of stars pirates and sailors and explorers used to pull out their copper telescopes while they crossed the sea then gazed through their spyglass and used these very same stars to guide them home or to foreign lands civilizations all over the world used the stars to create calendars and tell fort
unes and guide their decisions for their entire lives my dear child people have always talked about the stars and they always will ruby felt a honey-like warmth move its way through her body starting in the center of her chest and then traveling slowly down her spine her arms her legs tracing through her veins until it reached the very ends of her fingers and toes and it isn't just the past that the stars in the universe connect us to ruby it's everywhere on this planet ophelia continued right n
ow imagine a girl just about your age playing on a beach all the way down in florida or even in brazil imagine an elderly woman looking up at the sky from her cottage in the patagonian mountains as her mother said it ruby closed her eyes she could practically see a girl dancing on a white sand beach in florida dipping her toes in the water as palm trees swayed overhead the stars and the moon were reflected on the ocean lighting each wave in a subtle glow then she pictured the woman in the patago
nian mountains ruby could see the laugh lines on her face the gratitude shining in her eyes as she nursed a warm drink relishing in the steam rising into the night air she too looked up at the stars we're all sharing the same experiences all over the world and it's not just the sky that we share we share this beautiful planet together all because the sun is burning just the right way at just the right distance in just the right place at just the right time ophelia's voice was melodic and dreamy
a gust of that summer wind rippled across the grass around them kicking embers from the fire up into the air and sending leaves tumbling over them from the lush treetops above we get to experience this warm summer night we get to listen to the crickets sing us their melody and the peepers join together in a chorus unlike any other we get to feel the soft gust of wind tickle our skin and the pitter patter of leaves cascade over our bodies reminding us that we are here and now we get to curl up by
the crackling fire and cozy up in its warmth as those bright embers rained down all around us ophelia fell silent for a moment as if to demonstrate her point ruby closed her eyes and listened to the world around her she could hear the chirp of the crickets she could even picture them nestled in the nooks and crannies of the forest hiding under lofty leaves and in between the thick bark of the mighty oak trees she heard the familiar tweets of the peepers as they sailed lazily around in the nearb
y pond basking in the light of the moon as they sent slow ripples across the surface of the water far in the distance she could even hear the longing hoot of an owl echo in between the trees and over the hills ruby felt her mother's hand fall over hers urging her to stand up slowly ophelia led her daughter through the thick forest of conifers ruby could smell the clean aroma of the pine and cedar trees wafting through the air with every tree that they passed they entered into the clearing where
the small pond sat in a deep valley surrounded by brilliant green hills the moon was reflected perfectly on the smooth surface of the water ruby nearly expected a fairy or a sprite to appear from the water the scene was so immaculate and magical her mother led her down a warped wooden dock it creaked with every step they took a sound that was comforting a sound that reminded them that this dog had stood the test of time for years and years the two sat at the very edge of the dock dangling their
bare feet in the cool pond water they sat in silence for a long time soaking in the breathtaking atmosphere out here they could both feel their bodies untangling unfurling letting go of every inch of tension or worry they carried throughout the day ophelia reached into the water as she pulled her hand from the surface little droplets fell from her fingertips sending slowly expanding ripples across the surface so few places in our solar system have water she said letting more droplets cascade off
the ends of her fingertips yet we have a planet abundant with it it oozes out of rock faces it tumbles in a torrent over the edges of cliffs kicking up a misty gossamer as it falls to the ground it winds through streams and rivers and creeks it falls from the sky in brilliant storms and drizzles and downpours washing the planet clean nourishing the plants and our souls at the same time it freezes and unfreezes and falls from the sky and big puffy flakes that transformed the landscape into a win
ter wonderland ruby reached down into the pond with her tiny hand it was cold and soothing to the touch washing over her skin in curling arcs and gentle waves think about the different shades of water the shallow turquoise waves that encircle the caribbean islands just translucent enough for you to see the coral reefs teeming with life below the surface the blue-green current of the winding rivers in utah that have worked for thousands of years to carve their way through the rust-colored iron-ri
ch canyons and mountains the prismatic hues of thermal pools steaming against an evergreen landscape in yellowstone the fluorescent pink waves of lake redpa in senegal the bright blue glassy surface of lake louise in alberta surrounded on all sides by massive craggy peaks the pale white mist of angel falls that fills the air as the waterfall tumbles to the ground three thousand feet below ruby could almost hear the noises of these faraway lands the roar of the waterfalls the trickle of the strea
ms if she focused hard enough she could feel the mist of angel falls washing over her or the gentle current of the river in zion tugging at her feet ophelia pulled a cat tail from the bed of the lake and tickled the end of her daughter's nose the water all around the world gives life and nutrients to the plants around us it nurtures the stark white birch trees in alaska and the sky high sequoias in yosemite national park it brings life to the fragrant purple fields of lavender that stretch to th
e horizon and provence france it provides a safe home for pale pink lotus flowers to blossom in the marshes of china and india it sustains the ivy on brick buildings the century old oak trees casting shade on historic farms the orange poppy coated mountains in california the rolling green hills in scotland the joshua trees bending and curving towards the sunny desert sky the lush vines and fig trees deep within the brazilian rainforest ruby pictured rain pouring down over all those beautiful lan
dscapes she could see a joshua tree swaying in a beautiful desert downpour and lavender petals holding tightly onto droplets of water from a soft sprinkle as the rain fell over the land she could imagine it transforming into its full potential a pink lotus flower bloomed before her eyes from nothing but a seed in the mud of a distant marsh to a delicate otherworldly flower a sequoia tree grew from a sapling to a tree the height of a skyscraper towering over her with its vibrant red bark ophelia
smiled at her daughter as she watched the wonder wash over her face how amazing it is to see your appreciation for the world mirrored in someone else a leaf caught in the breeze landed on the pond sending circles of tension rippling across the smooth surface within a moment a fish rose from the depths of the pond swallowing the leaf in one swift gulp because of the plants and the water animals can thrive on this incredible planet of ours at this very moment there are billions of species all arou
nd the world living in harmony with one another and with nature a snowy owl dives through the night sky in canada listening intently to the noises of the other creatures in the forest in china a panda curls up for a nap in a grove of bamboo trees the bamboo clinking above its head lulling it to sleep deep within yosemite valley a mule deer nuzzles against its downy fawn as the two curl up in the sweet grass of the base of el capitan off the coast of alaska humpback whales dive and swirl through
the pacific ocean embracing the feeling of the current against their slick skin tucked away on a farm in the scottish highlands a highland cattle shakes its thick luxurious coat as a soft rain begins to fall and the aroma of fresh earth fills the air in the rain forest parrots and macaws of all colors fly through the thick foliage spreading their wings and tasting the freedom they have in the air in africa herds of zebra band together as they walk across the plains their colors shifting and danc
ing in beautiful patterns as they move in unison with one another in the wintry mountains of the himalayas snow leopards tiptoe across rocky peaks their fluffy tails trailing behind them in the snow on ponds across canada dragonflies dance across the surface of lakes even though they have one of the shortest life spans in the animal kingdom to the east deep below the arctic and atlantic waters the greenland shark swims through the murky depths where they may live for up to 500 years ruby looked
down into the dark waters of the pond underneath the dock she couldn't help but think that to the fish and frogs below her world on the surface may seem as distant as the milky way she imagined all the sleepy animals across the world nestling into burrows hiding in colorful anemones curling up into their nest high in the treetops without thinking much of it ruby leaned over to her mom placing her head on her shoulder she felt the warmth of her mother's touch and was overcome with a pleasant feel
ing of connection this is nice mom thank you ruby muttered and there are people all over the world having experience like this aren't there [Music] that's right my darling there are fathers and grandmothers and siblings curled up in warm beds reading bedtime stories to one another there are parents cradling their newborn child in their arms for the first time there are couples whispering their declarations of love over candlelight dinners there are poets penning the best verse of their life in s
mooth black ink on crisp white paper chefs baking warm apple cobbler for loved ones people strolling out of their first day at their dream job with a smile on their face car enthusiasts cruising down open desert roads feeling the breeze rushed through their hair painters covering canvases and swaths of color that illuminate the room with their vision there are people sitting by bubbling streams taking in the beautiful sounds of the water while they sip a warm cup of tea surfers gliding across cr
ystal clear water as the ocean waves give them the ride of their life rock climbers scaling mountains of granite and limestone just to finally see the world from a whole new perspective far away there are people feeling the warmth of sand between their toes there are people feeling the heat and comfort of a pair of pajamas fresh out of the dryer people are sipping ice-cold lemonades in the summer sun and people are sipping warm steaming coffee as the sun slowly begins to rise and paint the earth
with its rays of light ruby felt an immediate desire to do all of those things to feel all those incredible emotions but she knew this beautiful moment with her mother was more than enough think about all the clothes people are wearing around the globe the silk robes the band t-shirts the wool pajamas and the velvety coats there are people wearing blacks and greens and blues and pinks people in monochrome shades and people and polka dots people in plaid and people in stripes all these people ar
e going somewhere different saying something with their outfits and the way they carry themselves through the world think about all the languages being spoken all across the globe and all the people that are saying the same thing in a multitude of different ways french is rolling off the tongues of people under the eiffel tower japanese is echoing beautifully through the streets of tokyo and through towering bamboo forests swahili is warming the air of streets in nairobi and marcus in kisumu the
re are people all around us wanting the same things as us searching for love and communication and beauty in the world for all the amazing things we do we're all able to trace it back to one place ophelia motioned to the stars in a high graceful ark for a long moment ophelia and ruby sat on the edge of the dock speaking not a word to each other they listened intently to the soundtrack of the night from the crickets to the owls to the occasional splash of fish underneath the dock when the time ca
me without exchanging a word the two rose to their feet and began the walk back through the forest as they came to the dwindling bonfire ophelia coated the flames with a glass of water the flames and embers sizzled as they shrunk into a pile of ashes leaving behind a gray pile and room for a new fire the next night ophelia and ruby walked over the moon-soaked grass back towards their white coastal cabin when they reached the front door they both took a long breath of that sweet sweet night air t
hey stole a final look at the sky above them still so close they felt as if they could touch it together they tiptoed down the hall over the warped wood floor and into the last room on the left ruby happily climbed into her soft linen sheets she felt her body sink deeply into the mattress a feeling of comfort and peace cascaded over her body like ocean waves washing over the beach [Music] her mother wrapped the blankets tightly around ruby and softie ruby's eyes felt heavy as her mother gave her
a single kiss on the forehead i love you ophelia said i love you too ruby responded her voice dreamy and far away ophelia closed the door behind her as she headed off to her own room to have her own dreams but ruby couldn't bring herself to keep those heavy eyes closed she opened them one final time her gaze firmly locked on the twinkling stars outside her open window she could smell the aromas of the forest dancing into her room with every gust of wind she breathed in the scent of pine needles
and dwindling fires and distant ocean waves she could even still hear the crickets she closed her eyes listening once more to the rhythmic chirping of nature even here safe and warm in her bed she was connected to the beautiful world just outside her window even here she was connected to everything the woman in patagonia sipping her tea the girl on the beach in florida the pandas dozing off in forests of bamboo the greenland sharks swimming beneath icy ocean waves the waterfalls coursing over r
ocky cliffs in distant rainforests and valleys the lotus flowers blooming in the marshes the moon and asteroids spiraling through the milky way and of course that star polaris twinkling brightly millions and millions of miles away a spiraling ball of hydrogen and helium held together by gravity the force binding us all to this space we are all on a planet that is interconnected with nature and space the stars above us the ground beneath us the water that falls from our sky and fills our lakes an
d rivers it is all a piece of the same puzzle spinning around in a galaxy called the milky way ever so slowly ruby felt herself drifting closer and closer to sleep she welcomed the soothing embrace of a good night's rest as her body relaxed more and more into the mattress she stroked the fur of softy and pulled him tighter against her chest welcoming the comfort that he and all these new thoughts brought i hope this story has helped you find your own place of comfort peace and relaxation if you'
d like more stories please join me again tomorrow night until then sweet dreams hello and welcome to soothingpod's sleep stories my name is arif and tonight i will be your guide as we embark on a journey into the cosmos we will dance with the stars drift through the magical expanse of space and find answers to questions about space we may not have even realized we had before we begin however let us take a moment to unwind and find comfort in the space that we are in here and now close your eyes
and allow your body to sink into the mattress beneath you here and now you have no obligations there is no to-do list your only goal now is to allow your body to relax as you're lying down and listening to the sound of my voice your body is resting and soon as we embark on this cosmic journey together your mind will follow with those eyes still closed for a moment i want you to imagine that the entirety of the milky way is overhead blanketing your ceiling it is a cosmic haze that glistens and tw
inkles full of stars asteroids and the planets you see the silvery surface of mercury the scarlet surface of mars the orange and yellow haze that is venus and the biggest planet of all jupiter which is a living marble of stormy rust and yellow clouds beside it saturn spins with its brilliant gold rings tilted and its cloudy surface constantly swirling with a mosaic of warm tones then you see uranus a brilliant blue sea of color with a canted ring swirling around it in constant motion beyond that
there is neptune such dark blue that it truly does remind you of the god of the sea himself and finally on the very end there is pluto the tiny gray planet that seems to shimmer even though the sun is so far away from it the magic of the universe above you is undeniable and as you watch the planets move in their never-ending arc something even more magical begins to happen from the purple and black facade between the planets something begins to emerge it is sailing down toward you at a gentle n
on-threatening speed arcing in almost slow motion it is a shooting star and there are more than one they sail down toward you creating a shield of pinks blues purples and oranges as they are down sending off sparks along the way that hover in the air and disappear like embers the first shooting star lands on your head and melts into your body bringing with it a sense of utter peace and calm you feel any tangled thoughts you have been carrying completely and totally unwind leaving you with nothin
g but serenity your jaw relaxes and your tongue falls away from your mouth putting that entire part of your body at ease and then the other shooting stars begin to fall they pepper your arms and torso bringing warmth as they do so the muscles in your arms relax releasing any tension they have been carrying throughout the day then your chest does the same you feel your breaths going a little deeper as your lungs expand allowing more of this fresh magical air into your chest your heart slows to a
steady relaxed as you sink deeper into your mattress with this renewed sense of serenity and then the shooting stars land on your legs releasing any tension that you have been carrying in them all your aches and pains melt into the mattress beneath you disappearing like they never existed in the first place it is an experience unlike any other and then the shooting stars rain down even more they sprinkle over your whole body landing against you with a metallic ethereal ting ting ting as they tap
against you and melt into you bringing that sense of calm with them the planets and stars above seem to sparkle a little brighter now that you have welcomed them and as you gaze up at them something around you shifts in the most surprising way you are now lying in the grass it is a warm summer evening the kind of summer evening that brings you back to carefree childhood days meandering through the countryside you brush your hands over the tall soft grass that is cushioning you inviting you to b
e one with the earth the summer air buzzes with humidity but the touch of the grass is cool against your skin [Music] making you feel comfortable and cozy and reminding you that cooler hours are ahead as the moon rises higher and higher in the sky in the distance you can hear the chirping of crickets they sing their song out into the universe delicately crafting the soundscape of summer nights around the globe there is a pond to the west of you where the moon is heading the crescent luna is refl
ected upon the glassy surface peepers croak into the night air as they nestle onto lily pads lining the shore of this little forest haven [Music] you are staring up at the sky in wonder it is a crisp night the kind of night where the stars and planets seem to only be inches away from you it feels like at any moment you can reach up and grab hold of the stars brushing through the black expanse of space like you're simply running your fingers through pond water beside you there are two children ce
leste and callum who are gazing up the cosmos in awe their eyes reflecting the beautiful expanse you've been tasked with watching these darlings and it is not a challenging task in the least they are curious well-behaved children children that want nothing more than answers from the universe they ask the questions that you gave up asking long ago questions that you want answers to whether you've realized it or not how old is the universe celeste chimes her voice ringing through the air you tell
her you can't recall you're sure you saw it in a textbook sometime somewhere but the number escapes you you settle by telling her it was created a long long time ago what are stars made up of anyway callum asks stretching his arms up as he tries to grab them you tell him that you're sure it's gas or stardust surely it is something of that nature they ask questions for quite some time not in a way that annoys you but in a way that intrigues you there are so many things to know so many things that
you want to discover then something miraculous happens there is a streak across the night sky it is a streak of silver so bright that it looks as if it's glittering with magic the kids sit upright as their mouths fall open with surprise what was that they ask in unison you smile at them because that is an answer that you know my darlings it's a shooting star you expect the answer to satisfy them but then they chirp up with another question what are they made of where do they come from when were
they made how do they get here the embers of curiosity rumble deep inside you a well that is begging to be filled for quite some time you lie there and look at the shooting stars flying down one after the other they arc across the sky with such majesty and beauty that you are all stunned into silence simply taking in this beautiful miraculous moment finally the twins parents arrive to pick them up thanking you for your help and as the twins walk away you can't bring yourself to stand up just ye
t you turn your gaze back to the sky watching as more and more shooting stars come tumbling down to you you wonder about the questions they've asked about the details entwined with this miracle that is our universe and as you wonder something above you draws your attention it is a shooting star only it is not arcing across the sky away from you it seems to be getting bigger and brighter it streaks down through the atmosphere painting the air around it in brilliant fiery reds oranges and whites e
mbers seem to spark off of the shooting star as it heads down for you in a blaze and then it crashes to the ground just beyond the pond but the landing doesn't rumble the earth something that surprises you entirely you rise to your feet stream drifts up from the spot of collision and a hole seems to have formed in the soft earth as you tiptoe toward the hall you are surprised to hear someone yawning as if their awakening from a long much-needed nap you move toward the hole even more slowly until
you're standing on the edge the soil crumbling down around the sides of your feet there is a woman lying in the hole the shooting star has created but she is unlike any woman you have ever seen she is cloaked in a robe of silver with blue stars glowing across its surface her hair is as inky black as the night sky with flecks of silver peppered across it that sparkle in the moonlight and her face is delicate and beautiful she opens her eyes and smiles at you a smile that makes you feel completel
y at ease even in a situation as strange as this one who are you you ask the woman rises to her feet and stretches with yet another yawn before she clambers out of the hall and extends her hand to you my name is stella she proclaims so you are a shooting star you ask well she chimes technically i was a meteoroid and now i am a meteorite she takes you by the hand and leads you down into the hole with her but i can explain all that when we get where we're going you ask the woman where you're going
and she smiles at you well space of course she replies in the hole behind her is a cozy capsule made of wood inside there is a plush blanket adorned with stars she invites you to crawl inside promising you that the journey will be worth it by the end of this night on earth you will have all the answers to the questions that the kids sparked within you you take a deep breath and step into the capsule and as you do the door closes behind you locking you safely inside with the plush blankets and c
omfortable pillows the walls of the capsule are made of lush mahogany something that comforts you and makes the strange experience feel utterly luxurious and slowly stella raises her hand you drift up out of the dirt sailing up into the sky alongside her like magic you watch in awe as the world below you changes entirely the trees shrink as you rise higher and higher the mountains that were once towering over you are now nothing but craggy paint strokes on the canvas that is earth soon the entir
e country becomes a mosaic of rivers mountains meadows and deserts you rise up and out of the atmosphere with ease now when you look down you see the earth in its entirety and it is the most beautiful sight you have ever seen against the inky blackness of space the blues and greens of the earth pop but those are not the only colors before you there are magical sepia tones of the mountains the rugged rusty shades of the deserts across africa in china and australia and the united states there are
the emerald greens of the rain forests and the deep greens of the alpine forests and above all this is the cottony haze of clouds which swirl around the planet in fantastical patterns that seem too magical to be real you finally peel your gaze away to see stella smiling at you knowingly it is beautiful the first time you see it in person isn't it she chimes for a moment the two of you continue to look down at earth admiring it for its sheer beauty how remarkable it is that we exist at all then t
here is a whoosh beside you a grey mass of what looks to be rock zips by heading straight for the earth you watch as it begins to burn in the atmosphere igniting with an aura of red orange yellow and white then another whooshes by then another with each one you are coming face to face with a cosmic wonder these are meteoroids stella smiles as she tells you these are my siblings meteoroids are lumps of matter mainly made of silicon oxygen and heavier metals like iron and nickel they orbit the sun
much like planets asteroids and comets do and they are incredibly common you turn behind you to see that she is absolutely right thousands of meteoroids float through space all moving in arcs they are beautiful glistening brightly as they reflect the light of the sun to the left of you meteoroids are mainly formed from the collision of asteroids which orbit the sun in a region between mars and jupiter's orbits called the asteroid belt she snaps her fingers and suddenly you find yourself in an e
ntirely different part of the universe to one side of you is mars a tiny brilliant red planet that looks too ethereal to be true the rusty red planet pops against the backdrop of space on your other side is jupiter the behemoth of the solar system the planet is so stunning that for quite some time you can't look away from it jupiter is enveloped in storm clouds that swirl across the surface never-ending these are in bands of color deep dark reds light sandy hues and brilliant golds that seem to
sparkle like they contain millions and millions of diamonds and all around you there are hundreds thousands of asteroids that sail on by stella looks at you with another smile happy to see you so invested in her former home this is of course the asteroid belt the asteroids orbit the sun here but on occasion they collide with one another just as she says this two asteroids near you collide they crack with force splintering into dozens of pieces they scatter across space like pieces of glass spark
ling in the sun which is far far away from you now the pieces careen out of orbit heading in an entirely different direction now heading toward earth in the far distance when the asteroids collide they break into pieces called meteoroids and these meteoroids sail across space until they are drawn to the gravity of another planet or satellite slowly your capsule begins to pick up speed you fly alongside stella as she guides you dipping and diving around meteoroids you sail over the surface of mar
s gazing down at the craggy mountainous landscape below a landscape that was carved by water millions and millions and millions of years ago a landscape that is painted red by the high presence of iron in its soil you find yourself following along with the flurry of meteoroid debris that was created in the collision of the two asteroids and as the meteoroids near the earth you pick up speed even more stella floats effortlessly in front of you as she continues to explain meteoroids fall through e
arth's atmosphere at a fairly high speed depending on their size and composition they can travel anywhere between 36 000 feet and 200 000 feet in a single second at this speed they become heated to incandescence by collisions with air molecules in the upper atmosphere creating a streak of light via their rapid motion and sometimes also by shedding glowing material in their wake this visible passage of a glowing meteoroid through earth's atmosphere is called a meteor or a shooting star you glance
all around at the meteoroids falling to earth they burn red hot as they push on through the atmosphere at high speed and you sail right alongside them your eyes wide with awe and if the meteoroid is hot enough and small enough it will evaporate completely stella continues just as she says this a meteoroid beside you disappears leaving behind a trail of hot gas the gas sparkles in the air-like glitter but if the meteoroid is heavy enough and its composition is able to resist its journey into the
atmosphere it can land on the surface of the earth in the distance you watch the meteoroids land on the grassy surface below kicking up clouds of dust as they do and if a meteoroid lands on earth it becomes a meteorite you nod in understanding as you watch people race from nearby houses on the surface to investigate these incredible meteorites that have now peppered the countryside slowly you head back up into space rising through the atmosphere until you're looking down on earth again at the g
lowing twirling living marvel that we all call home but how did the asteroids form you ask where did they even come from stella smiles pleased to see you're asking even more curious questions once more she snaps her fingers only this time there is nothing you are in a black expanse unable to see anything except for stella who is glowing and giving you a reassuring smile she moves to the side revealing a tiny incredibly bright point in the blackness it is so bright that you shield your eyes as yo
u look at it but it is beautiful like a star the universe began as an infinitely hot dense point that was indescribably small it was not unlike a supercharged black hole surrounded by nothingness and then 13.7 billion years ago it exploded the tiny dense point before you explodes with color expanding before your fairy eyes but you cannot see anything else around you this kick started the radiation era which was made up of several smaller stages called epochs that occurred in the first tens of th
ousands of years of the universe's formation the first stage the planck epoch immediately followed the event which began the known universe the temperature and average energies within the universe were so high that every day subatomic particles could not form and even the four fundamental forces that shape the universe gravitation electromagnetism the weak nuclear force and the strong nuclear force were combined and formed one fundamental force at the end of the planck era gravity separated from
the electro-nuclear force next was the grand unification epoch which is named for the three remaining unified forces of nature strong and weak nuclear forces and electromagnetic force this era ended when the strong nuclear force separated from the remaining two fundamental forces then there's the inflationary epoch in which space itself expanded faster than the speed of light in a mere instant it grew from the size of an atom to the size of a grapefruit the universe was full of elementary parti
cles and it was still piping hot but it was starting to cool down then the electro weak epoch occurred this is when the weak nuclear force separated from the electromagnetic force this led to the quark epoch where all the raw ingredients within the universe were present but the universe was still much too hot and much too dense for anything to form from these ingredients then came the hadron epoch when the universe finally cooled down enough for quarks to bind together forming hadrons which are
composite particles like protons or neutrons all of the epochs described so far happened roughly within one second after the big bang and after the first three minutes the protons and neutrons had assembled into hydrogen and helium nuclei in the lepton epoch despite having atomic nuclei the young universe was still too hot for electrons to settle in around them to form stable atoms the universe's matter remained an electrically charged fog that was so dense light had a hard time bouncing its way
through it was in the matter era that the universe as we know it truly began to form this era spans millions and millions of years the universe finally cooled down even more allowing electrons to attach to nuclei this created neutral hydrogen which combined with helium to coat the universe with atomic clouds the pockets of gas within these clouds had enough gravity for atoms to be able to collect within them as she speaks about atomic clouds something miraculous happens around you you watch as
hazy clouds spread across the blackness in front of you they glow a strange yellow and orange that looks unlike anything you've ever seen before she smiles at your reaction and then continues within those clouds and that collection of atoms the seeds that created galaxies began to form and as these seeds were planted stars began to form stars blip to existence in front of you roiling hot balls of gas that glow such bright colors you can hardly believe what you're seeing they illuminate stella in
a brilliant glow though we can only see about 6 000 stars from earth on a clear night there are over 100 billion stars just in the milky way and scientists believe that the entire universe contains 200 sextillion stars stella explains more and more stars blip to existence from the clouds before you they each sparkle in their own way unique combination of gases stella continues the heat from these stars are what forged almost every other element in the universe they were truly what allowed plane
ts to become planets beside you a star flashes brilliantly impossibly bright and expands across the sky rippling across a cloud of gas dust and ice at one point scientists believed a star exploded disturbing a nearby cloud this cloud's gravity increased as it spun faster and faster and the gravity of this cloud formed the elements in the cloud into planetesimals these planetesimals grew larger and larger as the gravity bound more and more bits together eventually forming them into proto-planets
and as the gravity grew more and more these proto-planets became the planets that we know today around you large masses grow larger and larger until they become early early stepping stones to the planets that we know today you watch as the planet's colors shift and the planets themselves change until finally they become the planets in our modern solar system jupiter looms beside you those swirling clouds and perpetual emotion around you asteroids seem to be collecting scientists believe that jup
iter's gravity is so immense that it trapped asteroids here whenever protoplanets began to form jupiter's immense gravity would force them to collide breaking them back into asteroids the gravity of jupiter is what keeps many asteroids trapped here unable to form into anything larger [Music] the asteroids zip around you and yet again two collide a meteoroid breaks off and you find yourself following it with stella by your side you sail with a meteoroid toward earth you sail past jupiter waving g
oodbye to its stunning rings of rust sand and gold you sail past mars waving goodbye to its stunning blinding red surface and then you begin to approach earth which has never looked more beautiful as you sail through the atmosphere meteoroids all around you begin to burn bright red orange and yellow you watch as several burn up and disappear into nothing but a trail of gas and then you're gliding toward the ground the mountains grow as you approach them the beautiful contours of the planet the r
iverbeds and canyons and glades they all begin to come back into sight and slowly the trees glide toward you when you finally land on the ground you splash into the pond finding yourself in a world of blue the capsule releases you immediately and you float to the surface of the refreshing water the surface of the water is silver with the glow of the moon which you sailed by only moments ago the crickets and frogs chirp and sing their song to the universe as you pull yourself out of the pond you
find yourself walking over to where stella landed ready to thank her for sharing her knowledge now you know where the universe came from you know what shooting stars are you know how many stars there are and you feel even more at home on earth but instead of stella you find a meteorite in the hall burrowed into the earth you pick it up and it is warm to the touch beating like a heartbeat the feeling soon fades and you know it was stella bidding you farewell you walk home in the moonlight with a
smile on your face tomorrow you will be watching celeste and callum once more and this time you will have answers i hope you have enjoyed this sleep story and it has brought you a night of peaceful restful sleep please join me again tomorrow for another sleep story until then sweet dreams [Music] you
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