Two main points from this reading greatly inspire me: turning natural science into 2D and repetition to draw one’s eye in. From the planetary allignment to sunspots to carbon monoxide readers, this piece delves into effective ways science can be depicted. With the solar system, the 2D image reveals the gears and technology all in one straight line. This allows readers to see every planet in the system without becoming confused due to the convolution of multiple moving parts. Crucially, this draws me in because I want to imagine the planets circling each other and the gears turning, but I can picture it because of the simplicity of the drawing. To the author’s point, however, the original meaning of the work does get lost. Rather than focusing on the planetary interaction, this piece brings my attention to the incredible machination.

With repetition, whether it’s sunspots all in a line, varrying colored t-shirts all together, or a comparison of celebrities wearing the same outfit in a magazine, repetition effectively draws attention as well. It reminisces childhood games of “spot the difference” while also being satisfying to the eye. Drake recently used this technique with his album art: the same emoji in different colors alligned in a grid form. These small multiples give us much to observe without forcing us to scroll or flip tthrough pages.