Have you looked up into the dark, night sky lately, and viewed the vastness of space with it’s sprinkling of twinkling stars and bright objects?
Our nearest star- Proxima Centauri, whose light we see at night, that very light left the star 4 years and 3 months ago! It is so far away, we are actually looking at what shined 4 plus years ago.
Even the light from our sun, the solar in our system, takes 8 minutes to reach us. And that sun is so big it comprises 99% of our systems mass! Geesh! Think of that. Earth, the other 8 planets, the space and mass of other stars only equal 1% of The Solar System’s mass. Incredible!
The twinkling of the lights that we see are amazing, the reality of what lies beyond our galaxy is unbelievable, and the sheer enormity of the “observable” or “known” universe is mind boggling!
And yet, humans on this “Pale Blue Dot” think that they are supreme. It’s actually laughable.
The size of the universe, between Earth and the edge of the universe is estimated to be 46 billion light years, and in diameter 93 billion light years.
Consider this.
You live on Earth, Earth belongs to the Solar System, which is a part of the Interstellar Neighborhood and that belongs to the Milky Way Galaxy. That part we understand well.
Our galaxy is one of about 200 billion galaxies and belongs to the Local Galactic Group of galaxies. Then that group belongs to the Virgo Supercluster, which belongs to the Local Super cluster as the final piece of the Observable Universe.
It looks like this.
Twinkle, twinkle lil Star?? There is nothing little about the star(s). Nothing. Including measuring distances. Even a new measurement needs to be used- a light year.
The Eye of God Nebula, The Eagle, The Great Nothing, Bootes Void and Standard Candles are all identifiable objects in our “observable universe” and millions of light years away. Their size is incomprehensible, their brightness mind blowing.
Yet, in this vast unknown of immeasurable and silent space sits our planet, with you upon it.
And in it, you and I have been charged to “let your light shine”. The creator of all light, who spoke light to our pale blue dot, passed that light on to us and told us to shine in the darkness.
So I remind you- twinkle, twinkle YOU little star.
Cheers.
Debbie
Under Debra’s Palm 