Published December 29th 2011
Link to original post
Now that I've got your attention...
The universe amazes me.
When I take the time to really think about what we know and how much
left there is for us to discover I get choked up. Life is a miracle.
The odds of everything being perfect for life on earth is astounding.
Let's
think about this. If the earth was any closer to the sun not only would
it be hotter but any water would evaporate. As you know, water is the
key to life. If the earth was any further from the sun then it'd be too
cold for life as we know it. Somehow the earth is the
perfect distance from the sun to harbor liquid water which was/is important to evolution.
The
other planets in our solar system act as body guards against
asteroids. An asteroid wiped out the dinosaurs and about 90% of life on
earth. If these planets were not where they are today the end of the
world would have happened already. We owe our gratitude to do the big
gassy giants for devouring danger in a single bite. Especially Jupiter.
Without Jupiter's gravity asteroids would hit the earth 1000 times more
frequently.
Then there is the whole idea of our solar system being in the
perfect
position. If our solar system was any closer or further away from the
black hole in the center of our galaxy our orbit would not be the same,
neither would the position of our planet... among other things. (Wish I
wasn't drawing a blank right now or I would go into more detail).
So
now imagine how we came to be. A supernova occurred and with it the
formation of our galaxy. It was a long, vicious period of time, but
here we are. A bunch of little moon like "planets" were created from a
supernova, and those "planets" crashed into one another creating fewer,
larger planets. This happened several times until the planets we know
today were formed. Everything else that didn't become a planet is now in
our asteroid belt.
Every element on our earth is all from an
exploding star...even down to the iron in our blood. Supposedly
elements such as iron, gold, platinum, etc. can only be formed by the
high heats of supernovae.
Everything is made up of star dust.
When we look up into the night sky we are literally looking at our
parents. We are all born from the stars.
Mind blown.
After
thinking about what we do know I like to think about the things we have
yet to discover more about. Like dark energy. We know dark energy
exists, yet we can't see it, touch it, or detect it. If dark energy can
exist why is the thought of spirits so far-fetched? Or how about the
thought of nothing turning into something. The nothingness that existed
(existed? Does nothingness exist if it is nothing?) before the big bang
came out of nowhere (came out of somewhere?). Or how the universe is,
as far as we know, infinite.
My favorite thing to think about, however, is how
everything
has an end. We may have stability for the time being but our solar
system isn't going to stay stable. It is only a matter of time until
our sun dies. And when it does it will be taking the earth out with
it. Everything we know, every technological advancement we make,
history we record,
everything will perish. It doesn't stop there, though.
With
the "death" of something in the universe, it only brings about
evolution and change. Some stars die and become white dwarfs. So the
star itself isn't actually dead it has just taken another form. Other
stars larger than our sun turn into black holes. We don't know much
about black holes but there are theories that black holes themselves
could be the beginning of another big bang for a new, alternate
universe. Either way, the black hole is another form of what was once a
star.
Also remember, energy never ceases to exist... so our energy must go somewhere.
After
considering all of this (and other facts I can't seem to recall as I am
writing this, my apologies) I am always so humbled and moved. We are
all so small in the big scheme of things. We are beyond microscopic in
relation to the universe.
I am so thankful to be alive during the
time where our solar system is stable and during a time where we are
finding real answers to "Where do we come from?" and "How?". It is good to be alive.
If
you would like to learn more from people better capable of
understanding and explaining this information to you, I highly recommend
watching The Discovery Channel's "How the Universe Works". I have
watched MANY shows on the universe but there is something special about
this one. Another favorite is "Into the Universe with Stephen
Hawking". Both these shows can be found on Netflix streaming. But if
you are tech savvy I am sure you can find other free "legal" ways of
obtaining these shows. ;)
