The quote, “We live on a mote of dust suspended in a sunbeam,” was inspired by a “photograph of planet Earth taken in 1990 by Voyager 1 from a record distance, showing it against the vastness of space.” Compared to our sun, our Earth might appear insignificant suspended in the sun’s radiating light, but even our sun is diminutive compared to other massive stars in the inconceivable vastness of our universe (see below). When I look at the Earth suspended in the sunbeam, I’m reminded why it’s important to preserve the biodiversity of our planet. Considering the hardiness of some microscopic life here on Earth, maybe life is somewhat common in our universe. However, the conditions to produce complex life—and especially cognizant, intelligent, or sentient life—might be very rare, since organic life is at the mercy of the workings of the cosmos (organic life is fragile). Consequently, environmentalism is an important idea in the preservation of life, which is a rare and remarkable phenomenon surrounded by an equally remarkable universe. Images via BonkBonk and NASA:
Here is Carl Sagan’s quote captured as wallpaper for your computer:
Via Gizmodo and the Hayden Planetarium: The video below illustrates just how small the Earth is within our vast universe:
Even our sun is itsy-bitsy compared to some massive stars that also shine much brighter in our universe:
Image via Naurunappula
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