> ## Content Index
> Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.cascadepbs.org/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further.

# Measuring the Universe With a 14-Billion Light-Year Ruler
- URL: https://www.cascadepbs.org/show/its-okay-be-smart/episode/measuring-the-universe-with-a-14-billion-light-year-ruler-cxzvk9/
- Published: 2024-04-26T18:46:53.000Z
- Updated: 2025-08-20T09:55:51.000Z
- Description: The cosmic distance ladder is the world’s longest ruler, built to measure the universe.
- Author: Cascade PBS Staff
- Tags: Be Smart, Season 12, Episode 4, #ZZZ_Episode_80907a89-a9f0-4f79-95db-e18ea1777546, #episode, #ZZZ_Show_dc38a6e9-266e-43c1-b647-45e7445fad27, #v1.16

Since the time of the ancient Greeks, scientists have been constructing a cosmic measuring tape to measure the universe from our own backyard all the way to its ever-expanding edge: the cosmic distance ladder. In this video, we climb that ladder and explore how each rung has revealed something new and previously unthinkable about the universe we live in.