The Cosmic Connection – selected excerpts

From: The Cosmic Connection, a brief talk by Greg Stone, Dartmouth, MA, March 20, 2008.

I want to teach astronomy. Or maybe I should say preach astronomy – for the night sky, the dome of stars overhead, has become both a personal and public temple to me. . . .

Astronomy has the potential to lead us to what I call “deep awareness” – a significant sense of reality - of the cosmos and how we are intimately connected with it. We are, afterall, star dust. . . .

“What are you doing,” she asked, kindly playing the game. “I’m waiting for that tree to move so I can see the moon,” I said, motioning towards a huge, old hickory that was blocking the view of a waxing, 12-day-old moon. “Oh,” she said, not wanting to be impolite and question my sanity. And then a pause. “Oh,” she said much louder, and she smiled. . . .

On one level we remain a society incredibly ignorant of scientific truths, many of which, like this one, are counter-intuitive. On another level, even when we are aware of such truths, we have not integrated them into our routine thought patterns. Yet they do eventually have a huge impact on us in ways that are not always perceived. . .

People are woefully unaware of the basics – have, in fact, shut out the stars by surrounding themselves with a cone of artificial light any time they step out in the night – and most sadly, they have not experienced “the intellectual pleasure that accompanies a knowledge of the stars.” . . .

Yet this is not only an extraordinary time for the backyard star gazer . . . but we are in the midst of another astronomical revolution that is shaking the foundations once more – it is an observational revolution, much on a par with the one that happened in 1610 when Gallileo first pointed a spyglass at the Moon, the Sun, the planets, and the stars. . . .

We are now in the midst of similar discoveries every bit as earth-shaking. Let me speak of two – first, 96 percent of the entire universe consists of stuff that is simply a big “X” for us – dark matter and dark energy. . . .

So here’s the current composition of our universe:

• Atoms and matter we would recognize – 4 percent
• Mysterious dark matter – 23 percent
• Equally puzzling dark energy – 73 percent
. . .
I don’t think this idea has begun to sink in. I think we’re inside a revolution and from the inside, revolutions such as this are difficult to see. . . .

And yet that is not all there is to the revolution. The other sea change that is cresting and about to break upon us, is the discovery of extra terrestrial life. . . .

No – I doubt an encounter with intelligent life forms is just around the corner. But what is certain is that we are discovering a multitude of other solar systems. . . . But the Phoenix Mars Mission, due to land on the Martian north polar cap this May, could give us the evidence that life has developed on another planet. . . .

Don’t you feel insignificant? How depressing. We seem like just a random occurrence on an insignificant planet in a vast, uncaring and nearly endless universe. . . .

Whether there are other examples of life or not, whether there is other intelligent life or not, we are absolutely incredible. We are rare gems. That is scientific fact. And we are central to the scheme of the universe, at least as I read it.

My personal perspective – and this grows out of what science has revealed to us – is that we are nothing less than the universe becoming aware of itself.

That is an awesome thing and an incredible responsibility. That is why I love life and feel blessed to be living in this particular time. That is why I look around me and see miracles everywhere in every flower and hop toad and star – and in every human face. I am not only amazed that there is something rather than nothing – I am amazed that you and I are here and aware of it. . . .

Our Sun consists of 92 percent hydrogen and 8 percent helium. The other elements on the periodic table are there as well – but all together they make up a fraction of one percent.

Yet it is these elements that are relatively common to this Earth. It is these elements that are found in huge quantities in each of us. No –we are special, very special – and I only hope we can live up to – take full advantage of – our special role in this incredible universe. . .

I recognize that astronomy is a difficult topic to teach in schools. It doesn’t lend itself to the kind of laboratory experience that we can provide with physics, chemistry, and biology. Most of astronomy has to be done at a distance and done at night and under the whimsical demands of the weather. That can be a crushing handicap.

But there are ways around it. I absolutely believe that astronomy must be experiential. It must be taught in a hands-on, eyes-on fashion.

For specific suggestions on what you can do, please visit http://giveyoujoy.net/awe and click on “teacher resources.”

Breaking news - March 20 = New York Times

Stuff of Life (but Not Life Itself) Is Detected on a Distant Planet