@Imadethistocomment13
I don't expect the general public to know specific details but college students not understanding the difference between a planet and a star is very worrisome
@semir_ramic
I couldn’t even imagine that basic knowledge about our universe is so limited by so many people
@dannyb763
I like the way Derek doesn't mock people for ignorance and instead encourages learning.
@allenporter6586
As the Hitchiker's Guide says, "The Universe is big, like really big, it's so big that the biggest thing you can imagine looks miniscule in comparison."
@theondono
The fact that Derek can not laugh every time they say “astrology”… That’s talent
@pssurvivor
as someone who was obsessed with astronomy as a kid, them repeatedly calling it astrology really hurt. but i also appreciate how he was able to go about it without mocking them
@mikeaninger7388
“We are not astrology majors.” Education officially failed them.
@michaelrourke4555
In college I was an engineering major, and had a love of astronomy. That word got out. The university paid me a few bucks to tutor liberal arts students in astronomy. I loved it. I was forced to create a logical, and chronological narrative of the subject. When it came to the size of the universe and its objects, I used common analogies and ratios to give a comparative sense of distance and volume (and time); using the old basketball is the sun, so earth is a bb pellet (0.18inch) about 82 feet away. Then we talked about proxima centauri, 4.24 ly away, in both distance and time. I could go on on; it was immensely enjoyable, being witness to the the visible sense of awe and wonder expressed by these wonderful students.
@surfboardtrough7742
The fact that he didn’t mock them for their lack of knowledge is one of the reasons I love Veritasium. The world has enough toxicity; it’s nice to see someone who can be kind and educate others.
@ampushade8809
My favourite part of this video is that he actually educates the people interviewed. And doesn't just put them down.
@noobkilla3
As an astrphysics major, a part of me died within the first 5 minutes of this video but the rest of it revived me and filled me with a sense of hope because there's people like Derek who'll keep educating the general public about things the education system failed to.
@harmony.hiccup
as someone who loves astronomy down to my core, this absolutely pains me to sit through this, i might cry.
@EliGillispie8
I’m a big fan of how you interacted with the students. Anytime they degraded themselves for not knowing, you encouraged them. Neat to see these interactions.
@mr.pocket575
The tree question hit me the hardest. I was thinking... the amount of surface area on the Earth that contains trees is ASTRONOMICALLY smaller than the space in the galaxy that could contain stars. If it was a multiple choice question I'd have gotten it wrong. I still can't believe there are that many trees on Earth.
@bamzerdaniel1997
This was very eye opening. Never knew it’s possible to go through the education system and still not know the difference in size of the moon and sun.
@HappyIsaac0420
To be fair to the people saying "Astrology," most kids were told that something ending in "ology" means the study of. Astronomy is really the only exception i can think of off the top of my head.
@flyjet787
I am really shocked at the lack of understanding. Great for being so kind to these folks to keep them open to learning.
@KokBisa
This topic typically leads to feelings of existential crisis, but the way you're explaining it turns the video into something very wholesome. Love it.
@arnd_cf1180
0:35 "Is the sun bigger than the moon" what the... I am watching that video for 40seconds I already write a comment this is not a good sign generally
@veritasium