Carl Knutson

The most wonderful tortillas filled with migas, fajitas, barbacoa, lengua, and mushrooms

Tacos are amazing and versatile; it’s ideal for an early morning quick start, a late-night indulgence, and great car food. While yes, most taco establishments and trucks serve up great tacos, Eater is highlighting Austin’s best tacos through this guide. This means steadfast options from Veracruz All Natural and Cuantos Tacos, barbecue takes from Valentina’s Tex Mex BBQ, unparalleled tortilla de maiz at gas station surprise Ñoños, quality options from Nixta Taqueria, and vegan greats from Vegan Nom.

Ever in pursuit of taco perfection, for the purposes of this map, Eater skipped taco chains (meaning Torchy’s Tacos and Tacodeli) in favor of places that are doing interesting things with Austin’s favorite foodstuff (albeit with fewer presidential visits).

For other taco needs, scope out Austin’s best breakfast tacos and birria tacos. There’s also a map for the best burritos if that’s a thing you’re into.

This map was originally written by Kelly Stocker.

Here’s how to eat the city’s best tacos in a single day

There’s a lot of great food in Austin — zero doubts about that. Besides some of the best barbecue in the country, our town also has an embarrassment of riches when it comes to tacos. From breakfast tacos to Mexican street tacos, and everything in between, there are enough amazing taco joints and food trucks to keep everyone full of tacos all day long.

That’s why Eater Austin put together this comprehensive guide on eating through some of the city’s best tacos within 24 hours (and then some). While geographically this list is very doable (sticking to the East Austin and Riverside areas), remember to pace yourself and order wisely. Good luck.

6 a.m. at Joe’s Bakery

2305 East Seventh Street, Holly

The early bird catches the worm, which is why it’s best to start your taco day off early. Luckily, this 60-year institution opens at 6 a.m. six days a week (keep in mind it’s closed on Mondays). This no-frills diner offers breakfast and lunch faves, but the breakfast tacos are where it’s at. Enveloped in thick, fresh flour tortillas that are almost as fluffy as pancakes, the fillings are stuffed to the gills, especially the very large bacon strips.

Must order: the bacon, egg, and cheese taco

8 a.m. at Veracruz All Natural

2505 Webberville Road, East Austin

Yes, Veracruz lives up to all of its hype, so go earlier than you want in order to beat the rush. The iconic blue truck churns out probably the best migas taco in town. There are several locations, but for this trip, you’re heading to its food truck park on Webberville. Order a cold brew or a horchata to sip on while you wait — as the restaurant team likes to say, it’s not “fast food” here — before munching down on freshly fried corn tortilla chips nestled into organic eggs, tomatoes, onions, avocado, and Monterey jack cheese.

Must order: the migas taco

10 a.m. at the Vegan Nom

2324 East Cesar Chavez Street, Holly

With a 100 percent vegan menu, those looking to not eat meat can rest assured at one of Austin’s first all-vegan food trucks. Scrambled tofu takes the place of eggs, queso is made from cashew cheese, and chorizo and breakfast sausage are meat-free. However, you wouldn’t even know it because these ingredients don’t have that usual “other” quality most vegan substances have. The house-made chorizo is especially tasty.

Must order: the Gracias Madre (house-made vegan chorizo, scrambled tofu, pepper jack cheese)

12 p.m. at Discada

1319 Rosewood Avenue, Central East Austin

When you do something well, why complicate things? This small food truck offers only one type of taco, the namesake one, which is comprised of juicy blended pork and beef grilled on a discada (sort of like a wok), topped with onions, cilantro, and pineapple, and served on a tiny corn tortilla. Your only decision is whether you want three, five, or eight tacos to eat on their picnic tables.

Must order: the discada taco

2 p.m. at Nixta Taqueria

2512 East 12th Street, Chestnut

With a recent James Beard Award under its belt, Nixta is Austin’s current reigning taco hotspot that is actually worth all of the attention it gets. Known for its nixtamalized blue corn tortillas, it’s hard not to order every tasty-sounding thing on the patio restaurant’s menu. But for the purposes of eating tacos all day, set yourself for success by sticking to one, but the only problem is deciding which one.

Must order: the duck carnitas taco

5 p.m. at Licha’s Cantina

1306 East Sixth Street, East Cesar Chavez

If you’re itching to hit up a happy hour during your day of tacos, Licha’s is the place to be. With an excellent happy hour menu full of discounted cocktails (don’t skip the paloma), as well as huaraches (corn flatbread), sopecitos (black bean layered corn cups), and quesadillas, the restaurant’s patio is perfect for people-watching along the busy street. But remember, you’re here for tacos, which unfortunately aren’t on the happy hour menu, but are still available at full price. There are six options to choose from, which are served on a skillet so you can build your own tacos.

Must order: the Verduras (sweet potato, mushrooms, corn, squash, napa cabbage, and pepitas)

7 p.m. at Suerte

1800 East Sixth Street, East Cesar Chavez

Much like Nixta, Suerte is also known for paying very close attention to its house-made nixtamalized corn tortillas and inventive flavors. And the suadero tacos are truly a standout on the restaurant’s already impressive menu. The confit wagyu brisket comes covered in “black magic oil,” an extraordinary condiment that is the best embodiment of umami. And finish your taco meal with the restaurant’s fancy take on the Choco Taco for dessert, because, hey, you can no longer get them anywhere else now.

Must order: the suadero tacos

9 p.m. at Cuantos Tacos

1108 East 12th Street, Central East Austin

The double-corn tortilla Mexico City-style tacos at the food truck are two to three bites each, making them the perfect size for sampling. Your best bet is to go with friends and order one of each to enjoy every type of filling, including carnitas, suadero, buche (pork stomach), cacheta (barbacoa), longaniza (chorizo), and champiñones (mushroom).

Must order: the champiñones taco

11 p.m. at El Tacorrido

1701 East Riverside Drive, Riverside

With several locations around town and quick drive-thrus, El Tacorrido is a popular late morning spot for lazy breakfast seekers, especially with that half-horchata, half-espresso Equinox drink. But, late-night diners can also enjoy breakfast — which is thankfully served all day — along with other great tacos via car or dine-in services before midnight.

Must order: the taco de hongos

2 a.m. at Rosita’s Al Pastor

1801 East Riverside Drive, River

If you’ve made it this far, you’re ready to celebrate even though the day is technically already over. Late nights at Rosita’s food truck are fun taco parties, especially since it stays open until 3:30 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays (which, actually are Saturdays and Sundays, right?). Rosita’s has been slinging al pastor since 1985, so it’s logical to order the namesake 24-hour marinated pork tacos that are bright red and greasy in the best possible way.

Must order: the al pastor tacos

Most CEOs are bad people, but “Papa John” Schnatter is on an entirely different level. Sometime after being forced to step down as CEO of the popular pizza chain because he used the N-word on a company conference call about racial sensitivity, Papa John turned from everyday rich jerk to puffy-faced super villain,…

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Michi Ramen will start slinging noodle soup in Anderson Mill

Austin noodle soup restaurant Michi Ramen is expanding with its third location in the Anderson Mill neighborhood at 10700 Anderson Mill Road. There is no set opening date as of yet but expect it sometime soon..

The new restaurant’s menu should be similar to Michi’s other two locations, with its usual noodle soup bowls like the Michi with chashu options; the Jungle with lemongrass tonkotsu; and the Meat Lover’s, with double the meat; plus all sorts of topping options. Then there are sides like calamari salad, marinated fried chicken, and potato korokke, plus mochi for ice cream.

Michi’s original full restaurant opened on North Lamar in 2013. And then it decided to open a take-out-only location on South Lamar in 2015 for those who want to slurp their noodles at home. There was a third Michi Ramen up in Plfugerville, which was supposed to include a drive-thru lane, but that closed too.

Michi briefly ran a Japanese street food restaurant, Yatai, in the back of campus dive bar Hole in the Wall in 2016, which it converted into another Michi Ramen later that year, but it closed too.

• Michi Ramen [Facebook]
• All Coverage of Michi Ramen [EATX]

It’s the time you’ve all been waiting for! Today we’re releasing a new set of eight core badges, ready for you to unlock. The following badges are available now and are not retroactive UNLESS you have enabled retroactive badges in your app settings.

• Haze for Days
  Check-in to 5 different beers with the style of IPA - New England, Imperial IPA - New England, Pale Ale - New England, or IPA - Milkshake (Level to 100)
• Zwickel City
  Check-in to 5 different beers with the style of Kellerbier / Zwickelbier (Level to 100)
• The Croats
  Check-in to 5 different beers from a brewery from Croatia (Level to 100)
• The Sign of Vytis
  Check-in 5 beers from a brewery Lithuania (Level to 100)
• Ye Olde Pub
  Check-in to a beer at 5 different venues with a category of Pub, Irish Pub or Gastropub (Level to 100)
• Oat of this World!
  Check-in 5 different beers with the style of Stout - Oatmeal (Level to 100)
• Crystal is King
  Check-in to 5 different beers with the style of Kristallweizen (Level to 100)
• California Dreamin’
  Check-in to 5 different beers with the style of California Common (Level 100)

Cast your vote for our next batch of core badges at https://untappd.com/uservote/badges.

What if I told you I had a few ... SECRET shirts left?

He won a lot of accolades for his play, and was a massively successful star. But he won that success, strangely, by using a style of shot that most people throw out before they reach middle school. See, Barry was an underhand free-throw shooter, and it worked really well for him: For every 10 free throw shots he attempted during his career in the ABA and NBA, he made about nine of them, a rate that was extremely impressive for its time.

There’s nothing stopping players from throwing their free throws underhanded, other than that it looks incredibly awkward. But a point’s a point, and you can’t argue with the results.

That appears to be something that Barry’s son Canyon Barry is taking to heart at the University of Florida. The New York Times reports that Canyon has similarly lived through the mockery and is making a whole lot of free throws by mimicking his dad’s “granny shot” style. Check out this shot of him playing with the College of Charleston in 2012:

And like his dad, you can’t argue with the results: After gaining confidence with the shot style, his shot percentage quickly improved, and this year, Canyon has a free throw percentage of 89.2 percent.

“The repetition has kicked in to where I feel like every time I step to the line, I should be making both of them,” he told the Times.

With a little help from his lineage, he’s shaping up to be an inspiration for people everywhere who look like idiots while successfully doing what they love.

This Thursday night, September 8, I’ll be participating in the latest installment of “The Internet Read Aloud,” a reading/comedy show hosted by Josh Fruhlinger (of the Comics Curmudgeon, and many other things)!

I will be doing a dramatic reading of my poem comprised entirely of phrases from Jeb Bush’s fundraising emails. And the evening has many other delights in store as well, I have been assured.

It’s at the Clubhouse in Hollywood, and details are also at this “Face-Book Event,” hyperlinked here! I hope to see you there!!

quick tip - maybe point ALL the speakers at the city instead of half at the sea.

Cats are just so full of kindness and respect. That's why we love 'em.

Hovertext: Oh, and thank you for birthing me into a period of human history in which natural selection is really really forgiving.

Plus, renovations, revamps, and expansions

Austin’s beer landscape is growing bigger, with breweries popping up every which way. There are out-of-town big hitters like Oskar Blues Brewery, and newcomers Orf Brewing, Kamala Gardens Brewing, and many more. Many breweries are congregating in what appears to be Austin’s new beet hot spot North Burnet, plus there are planned expansions and transformations for the city’s already beloved spots like Jester King and Live Oak. Here is Eater’s rundown on the latest updates for Austin’s robust beer scene.

Live Oak Brewing Company
Live Oak’s relocated new brewery in Del Valle is now fully functioning, with canning production up and running, delivering cans of Hefeweizen and Pilz and the recently-unveiled taproom. Eventually, the grounds will include a beer garden, disc golf course, and food trucks. For brewing purposes, there will be a German brewhouse, millhouse, lab, and more.
Address: Del Valle, 1615 Crozier Lane
Status: Now open
More Information: Official; Facebook

[Photo: Live Oak Brewing Company/Facebook]

Austin Beerworks
Looking to produce more beer and add an extra taproom and event space, Austin Beerworks is taking over the neighboring warehouse on Industrial Terrace for an expansion. This way, the brewery will be able to experiment with more special limited releases, too. The extension will be designed by Michae Hsu’s firm.
Address: North Burnet, 3009 Industrial Terrace
Status: 2016
More Information: Official; Facebook

[Photo: Austin Beerworks/Facebook]

Hops & Grain
Hops & Grain is working on another production building dedicated to the brewery's wild and sour beer programs out in far East Austin. The new digs will include a tasting room.
Address: Far East Austin, FM 969 and Highway 130
Status: 2016
More Information: Official; Facebook

[Photo: Hops & Grain/Facebook]

St. Elmo Brewing
Austin Beerworks alums Bryan Winslow and Tim Bullock are opening their own brewery as part of The Yard, St. Emo Road’s new creative workspace (not to be confused with St. Elmo Public Market). Expect a beer hall with year-round offerings, and rotating experimental beer styles. Summer will bring a Southeast Asian food truck.
Address: Far South, 440 East St Elmo Road
Opening Date: Summer 2016
More Information: Official; Facebook

[Photo: St. Elmo Brewing Company/Facebook]

Friends & Allies Brewing
The brewery, founded by former roommates Ben Sabin and Devon Ponds, already has its first beer available throughout Austin, the session IPA Noisy Cricket. While the facility is under construction (with beer garden in the works, too), the beers are being brewed at 4th Tap in the meantime.
Address: East Austin, 979 Springdale Road
Opening Date: Spring 2016
More Information: Official; Facebook

[Photo: Friends & Allies Brewing/Facebook]

Jester King Brewery
Now that Jester King has a fancy new bathroom, the brewery still plans on expanding by growing crops and raising animals on an adjacent plot for beer and a restaurant.
Address: Far West Austin, 13005 Fitzhugh Road
Opening Date: 2017
More Information: Official; Facebook

[Photo: Jester King Brewery/Facebook]

Brewer’s Table
Beer vet Jake Maddux is teaming up with Ned Elliott of Foreign & Domestic for the East Austin brewery and restaurant featuring wood-fermented beers and wood-fired food. The space will include patios, a brewer’s table, and children’s playground.
Address: East Austin, 4715 East 5th Street
Opening Date: Summer 2016
More Information: Facebook

[Rendering: Kevin Stewart]

Oskar Blues Brewery
The Colorado brewery chose Austin for its third brewery, with plans for a separate taproom dedicated to beers and music. Despite having moved its opening date from April, Oskar is hosting its famed Burning Can Festival on the 20th.
Address: North Burnet, 10420 Metric Boulevard
Opening Date: Early May 2016
More Information: Official; Facebook

[Photo: Oskar Blues Brewery/Facebook]

Orf Brewing
St. Louis-native Chris Orf’s beer dreams will soon become fully realized with Orf Brewing, as soon as he works through the permitting process. The nano brewery will debut with four planned beers: the golden Salutation Ale, the hoppy Hoprocker I.R.A., Honey Roast, and Oocheemama.
Address: Southeast Austin, 4700 Burleson Road, Unit 5
Opening Date: TBD
More Information: Official; Facebook

[Photo: Orf Brewing/Facebook]

Kamala Gardens Brewing
From Whip In and Twisted X Brewing, Dipak Topiwala and Jim Sampson are looking to create a hang-out brewery, producing fresh and barrel-aged beers. The two are still locking down a location, and will add a food truck, as well.
Address: TBD
Opening Date: TBD
More Information: Official; Facebook

[Photo: Kamala Gardens Brewery/Official]

Guns & Oil Brewing
Guns & Oil Brewing produces only one beer for now, the American-style Maverick Lager, which debuted in January. The brewery is in the midst of permitting for the forthcoming taproom, so guests would be able to drink on the premises.
Address: East Austin, 979 Springdale Road
Opening Date: Spring 2016
More Information: Official; Facebook

[Photo: Guns & Oil Brewing Co./Facebook]

Brewtorium
Chris Rauschuber and Whitney Roberts are still looking for a permanent location for their brewpub. Originally, they were looking for spots somewhere in North Austin. Once it gets underway, Brewtorium will serve German-style beers, lunch, dinner, as well as host educational events and include a beer garden.
Address: TBD
Opening Date: 2016
More Information: Official; Facebook

[Photo: Brewtorium/Facebook]

Oddwood Barrel House
Founder Taylor Ziebarth originally formed Oddwood Ales as part of Adelbert’s Brewery, but he is spinning off a standalone barrelhouse with taproom in store. Oddwood will take over a former office building and nightclub for a tasting room with outdoor seating, serving tapped beers and to-go bottles from a small retail shop. He plans on expanding on what the team already produced during its Adelbert’s period, including pale ales, berliners, pilsners and more.
Address: MLK, 3701 Airport Blvd
Opening Date: Fall 2016
More Information: Official; Facebook

[Photo: Oddwood Ales/Facebook]

Lazarus Brewing
The Lazarus Brewing team brewed their first beer, All Souls Ale, with Montana’s Big Sky Brewing, and want to open their own Austin production right in East Austin, with a taproom. The staff is currently looking for a head brewer.
Address: East 6th Street and Chicon
Opening Date: TBD
More Information: Official; Facebook

[Photo: Lazarus Brewing Co./Facebook]

Adelbert’s Brewery
The longtime Austin brewery is embracing change by acquiring a brewpub license, which means it will experiment with different types of beers and offer to-go bottles.
Address: North Burnet, 2314 Rutland Drive, #100
Opening Date: Summer 2016
More Information: Official; Facebook

[Photo: Adelbert's Brewery/Facebook]

Flemish Fox Brewery
Detroit’s Atwater is testing the Austin waters by collaborating with old-turned-new Flemish Fox, which is helmed by the daughter of the late longtime Austin brewer Pierre Celis of his namesake Belgian-style wheat brewery. Along with producing beers for the two breweries, there will be a tasting room, beer garden, musical stages, and more.
Address: North Burnet, 2013 Rutland Drive
Opening Date: Early 2017
More Information: Facebook

[Rendering: Flemish Fox Brewery/Official]

Idle Vine Brewery
With Idle Vine Brewery, co-founder and head brewer Scott Ciampa wants to be able to brew four year-round beers, including the Idle Vine IPA and the Trackdown Porter and seasonals, including a red ale and oatmeal stout, with production starting in May. For food, there will be rotating food trucks, and the tasting room will include guest brews and views into the brewery.
Address: Cedar Park, 2000 Windy Terrace
Opening Date: Summer 2016
More Information: Facebook

[Rendering: Mode Design Company/Idle Vine Brewery/Facebook]

Thirsty Planet Brewing Company
As part of Thirsty Planet’s takeover of the vacant Capital Area Food Bank building down on South Congress, there will be more beer, tasting room, and patio space.
Address: Far South Austin, 8201 South Congress Avenue
Opening Date: Late fall 2016
More Information: Official; Facebook

[Photo: Thirsty Planet Brewing Company/Facebook]

Hovertext: Keep her out of direct sunlight and if she gets fussy give her a trebuchet.

Two days ago, I went downstairs to check on our crying toddler. Turns out she left a wooden toy on the bottom step. Long story short, fractured my fifth metatarsal. Readers should notice no difference, except for my planned 6 weeks of jokes focusing exclusively on metatarsals.

With special and new Texas beers

Detroit brewery Atwater Brewery is collaborating with brand new Flemish Fox Brewery in Austin for a new beer retreat in northwest Austin. Flemish stems from the late Belgian brewer Pierre Celis’ Austin brewery, now helmed by his daughter Christine. The entire shebang will debut on 2013 Rutland Drive sometime in early 2017.

This will be Christine Celis' revival of her family's brewery, focusing on the same Belgian-style wheat beer her father started, as well as introducing newer styles. She is also seeking funds to restore old equipment.

"Austin deserves to get their first brewery back," Celis told Eater. The new beer facility will build "a sense of community and a focal point for beer lovers to converge."

Atwater owner Mark Rieth decided on Austin for the brewery’s first out-of-state spot because it "shares our passion for the craft beer culture." Special Texas-only beers will be brewed, too.

Along with producing beer for both breweries, the three acre space will feature a tasting room, beer garden, stages, retail shop, and brewery museum. Musical events and festivals will be in the works, too.

Northwest Austin is becoming the city’s next beer hub, with Austin Beerworks, Adelbert's Brewery, Circle Brewing Company, and 4th Tap Brewing Cooperative, with impending Oskar Blues Brewery from Colorado, coming in May.

Keplar VI doesn't need to be inhabitable if they're necrotic tho.

Very specially-designed gaming tables.

Vigilante wants to bring gaming, drinking, and socializing all together by opening a bar and restaurant built for board gamers by board gamers in Midtown Commons in Crestview. One of the co-founders, Preston Swincher, who is also CEO, explained, "We’re trying to really elevate the gaming in public experience into something new that it’s never really been before." He added that eating, drinking, and gaming are all "social experiences."

The highlight of the bar will be the fully customized tables made just for board gamers. Food and drinks can be placed on roll-out trays and cup holders so spills and messes are avoided. Plus, there are outlets, wifi, and even ethernet cable capabilities. Other features include a call for service button, and another button to raise a flag, indicating the table is looking for more players.

Before embarking on thoughtfully designing the space, the group released an extensive 10-15 minute survey to find what people really wanted from a board game bar, which was the "driving design force behind our big choices," Swincher explained. This led to healthier food options and offering non-messy dishes, which makes gaming cleaner. Future patrons wanted a place with a dimmer bar atmosphere but well-lit gaming tables. To solve that, the team placed track lighting that points straight onto the table, which is also stained with a non-reflective material.

There will be anywhere between 100 to 150 game titles available, all repackaged and placed in protective coverings so everything is easier to handle. Look out for classic games like Scrabble, chess, Catan, Cards Against Humanity, and others, including rarer ones. There will also be shorter social games. Guests are allowed to bring their personal sets, too.

Mock-up of the gaming table. [Photo: Vigilante/Facebook]

Every dish on the menu can be "eaten cleanly with one hand," like sliders instead of big burgers. Around 12 to 14 local Austin beers will be available at the bar, including Friends & Allies and Thirsty Goat.

Vigilante will have four different areas: the social lounge, made perfect for those quick games, with comfortable seating like couches. The general dining room will hold those custom gaming tables, and the bar area with ten to 12 seats. The two private dining rooms will be housed behind secret bookcase doors. Reservations for tables and games can be made. There will host plenty of events, from massive Dungeons and Dragons sessions, James Bond-themed poker nights, murder mysteries, and more.

The group is launching a Kickstarter soon, to help raise more money for construction. If that goes well, they’re thinking of adding a mezzanine with more seats. Vigilante is projected to open by August.

Android: Google Maps’ Navigation feature has been one of Android’s best for a long time. It would be nice, however, if you could see things like traffic updates and nearby gas stations without entering a destination. Now, you can.

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It’s been awhile since we last launched any major new features for Untappd. We’ve got a lot to make up for. Luckily, we believe this release will do just that and then some. We’ve been working pretty hard on this release over the last few months and are excited to share with you what we’ve come up with. Unfortunately, this is currently only available on iOS, but will be coming to our Android users soon!

Here’s what you can expect to find in this release:

• Untappd Groups
  Have a lot of friends and can’t keep up with everyone? Create a group, then choose the friends you want to view and keep tabs on the beers they drink!
• Search via UPC Scanning
  You’ve been asking for it and it’s finally here. Find your bottle or can faster by scanning the UPC.
• Friend Tagging
  Always wanted to tag your friends in your comment? Simply the tap the “+” icon in the comment box and tag the friend you want to notify in the post!
• Get a Ride with Uber
  You can now request a ride with Uber to nearby venues within Untappd. If you have Uber installed, it will automatically set the destination for your trip!
• Enhanced Notifications View
  We now group your notifications together by check-in and by type so it’s easier to follow.
• Venue List
  See all the venues you have checked into on your Untappd account.
• 3D Touch for iPhone 6s
  Find nearby bars, check your notifications, or search for your beer all from your home screen. Simply launch the app the first time after updating to enable this feature!
• Quick Location Adding
  We now display the locations nearby below the “Add Location” button on the check-in screen, so you can quickly add it to your check-in.
• More Fixes
  In addition, there are a number of both core and UI fixes included!

We hope you all love these new features! And again, Android update it on it’s way very soon. Please stop by and let us know what you think on Twitter or Facebook!

So which one are we (we human beings, I mean)?

Infinitesimal

String scale

Nanoscale

Subatomic scale

Atomic

Molecular

Mitochondrial

Cellular

Microscopic

Minuscule

Tiny

Lilliputian

Small

Medium

Bulky

Large

Immense

Massive

Giant

Mammoth

Colossal

Leviathan

Vast

Galactic

Cosmic

Universal

Well, it depends on who’s asking. To a virus, we’re colossal, even vast. To a giraffe, we’re small. If it’s me asking, a virus looks microscopic (minuscule?), while the solar system—ah, the solar system—has gotta be in the colossal-to-vast range, but I really have no idea. I can look up at what might be Mars (the rosy-looking one) in the night sky, but I haven’t the imagination, the metaphor, the math to make sense of that distance. All I know is what Doug Adams says in The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy: “Space is big. Really big. You just won’t believe how vastly hugely mindbogglingly big it is.” Yup. That’s how I measure deep space: I don’t. My mind just boggles.

But this week, along with a million or so other folks, I saw the light. Or rather, I saw space. I saw, maybe for the first time, how hugely mindbogglingly big space is. Two wonderful filmmakers, Wylie Overstreet and Alex Gorosh, figured out what’s wrong with every image of the solar system we’ve ever seen. In every one, they say, space gets cheated. Planets get exaggerated. And in their short film To Scale: The Solar System, they fix that.

What they do is build our solar system with the heavenly bodies true to scale, which means the sun, Mercury, Venus, and, all the way out, Neptune (sorry, Pluto) are crazily small. Space, meantime, gets back its vastness. As you see here, their Earth (this is Overstreet demonstrating) is a little marble.

Using a ten-foot chain-link fence hooked to the back of their car, they created the orbits of all eight planets on a dried lake bed in Nevada (Black Rock Desert, home to Burning Man), carving ellipses into the sand. Then, when night fell, they drove the orbits, Gorosh holding a large lamp out the car window. The resulting time-lapsed film was composed into a carnival-looking, swooshing solar system, with teeny planets poised on poles, each a pinpoint of light.

The most wonderful moment comes at the very end, when we stand nose to nose with the marble that is Earth and look back at the actual sun coming up in the east and, astonishingly, their model sun and the real sun … match! They’re the same size. So the model suddenly feels real, and that’s when Overstreet takes Earth and tosses it along the desert floor so it rolls into orbit, and you see, really think you see, how small (minuscule? tiny? Lilliputian?) our little planet—home to all of us—actually, really is.

It’s lip-bitingly beautiful.

WATCH: A group of friends build a scale, illuminated model of the solar system stretching seven miles across a dry lakebed in Nevada. Video courtesy Wylie Overstreet and Alex Gorosh

Next week: a strange man sells Wonderella a monorail. Leonard Nimoy guest stars.