“Why so many eager speculation and ardent fantasies about Martians, rather than, say, Saturnians or Plutonians? Because Mars seems, at first glance, very Earth-like. It is the nearest planet whose surface we can see. There are polar ice caps, drifting white clouds, raging dust storms, seasonally changing patterns on its red surface, even a twenty-four-hour... Continue Reading →
Contemplating the Cosmos: A Universe in Harmony?
“…we live in an in-between universe, where things change, but according to patterns, rules, or, as we call them, laws of nature.”[1] I am amazed at the fact that there are certain governing authorities over my existence on this earth, this cosmic shoreline. I can walk along and gravity holds me to the ground. Still,... Continue Reading →
Contemplating the Cosmos: The Fantastical Alien Worlds
“All my life I have wondered about the possibility of life elsewhere. What would it be like? Of what would it be made?”[1] It is easy to wonder, sitting on this cosmic shoreline and looking up into the universe, if there is any life out there whose intelligence might be similar to our own,... Continue Reading →
Contemplating the Cosmos: Standing on the Shoreline
I stand outside and look at the stars with wonder, noting the great complexity of systems and the great emptiness within the cosmos that I have read about. To think that I look with wonder at the same universe that is observed by great thinkers like the late Carl Sagan and Stephen Hawking. Yet... Continue Reading →
Contemplating The Cosmos: Introduction and Preconceptions
The universe is an extraordinary place and I am, as often as I think upon it, amazed at just how intricate it is. I am just as amazed with the human capacity to discover and explore the universe. A dominant theory concerning origins is that the universe was once one, ‘very small’ singularity that... Continue Reading →