Do you ever look out into the night and remember the moon is a giant chunk of rock orbiting our planet, or that the stars are actual balls of flaming gas, and just say, “Wow.”
Now, I know some may say the way I phrased it just then sounds a lot less romantic than others would like to put it–I disagree. From chunks of rock, ice and metal to clouds of funky gas and matter, what lies out beyond our solar system remains mysterious and beautiful any way you word it.
For as long as I can remember, I have been deeply fascinated by space. I couldn’t tell you how many times I sat outside growing up looking at the stars all night and pointing out Orion’s Belt to my little brother, or how many times we tuned in to a rocket launch or stood outside waiting for a meteor shower.
I’ve watched the moon cross the sky and thought about, in awe, how it impacts gravity on Earth and the tides of the oceans. I’ve remembered it’s the same moon someone stepped foot on, that even the first humans looked at that same moon, that I’ve only seen one side of it with my own eyes. I think about the lunar rovers that hang out up there, collecting data.
I hope I’m wrong–that people are just being quieter about it–but, nowadays, it seems that fewer and fewer people are interested in outer space.
You have those who think astrophysics, astronomy and space travel are a waste of time and money and those who believe whole-heartedly that the moon landing was fake, but I think there is merit in learning the secrets of this endless void that is home to our giant galaxy, that is home to our big solar system, that is home to our tiny Earth.
The moon landing is real, by the way. Do not get me started.
My point is, there is so much out there, and so much to learn. As small as Earth seems in relation to everything else, the scale of our planet is astounding–due to its size, our tallest mountains and deepest trenches virtually make no change to the planet’s “spherical” shape.
“If you had a super-duper, jumbo-gigantic finger, and you dragged it across Earth’s surface, (oceans and all), Earth would feel as smooth as a cue ball,” wrote astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson in his book “Astrophysics for People in a Hurry.”
I couldn’t believe it.
Then there are things scientists still aren’t sure about, like dark matter. Around 85% of all measured gravitational force in the universe comes from substances that do not interact with our matter or energy the way the gravity we’re familiar with does, according to deGrasse Tyson.
We’re waiting on our next Einstein, our next Newton, to make a new discovery about gravity.
On top of that, whether or not the whole universe has been observed yet is unclear.
Keep these two things in mind: When one looks out to the stars, they are looking into the past, because light takes time to travel to us. Secondly, ever since what theorists called “The Big Bang,” everything in space has been expanding outward, and fast.
That means that we don’t even know yet if there is anything beyond the current observable universe. Either that light hasn’t reached us yet, or nothing lies beyond.
Enough with the scary, existential stuff. I just think it’s wild.
Like deGrasse Tyson wrote in his book, everything that is and ever was used to fit in a volume smaller than one-trillionth the size of a period. Then the story of our universe began to unfold, with strong and weak nuclear forces; electromagnetic forces, which bind molecules; and gravity, which binds matter; and spoiler alert: Nearly 14 billion years later, here we are.
