Forty years ago* on December 24, 1968, Earthrise was captured by astronaut William Anders during Apollo 8--the first manned voyage to the orbit of the Moon. It is a photograph that forever changed the way many humans perceive our place in the universe.
As we celebrate the new year, take a moment to consider our impact on this pale blue dot in the short span of time since then... and just imagine what we may yet accomplish and discover by 2048.
*posted a day early given many readers will be away from the blogosphere tomorrow
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"I could have gone on flying through space forever." -Yuri Gagarin
It was April 12th, 1961, or fifty years ago today, that Yuri Gagarin became the first human being to leave Earth -- the ground, the atmosphere, the stratosphere -- and to soar into outer space.
Image credit: GETTY images.
What was…
"We came all this way to explore the moon, and the most important thing is that we discovered the Earth." -Bill Anders, Apollo 8 Astronaut
This Earth Day, I think -- for anyone interested in space, astronomy, or the Universe -- gives us perhaps the best opportunity to look back on our planet as we…
"In the depth of winter I finally learned that there was in me an invincible summer." -Albert Camus
As the year draws to a close, we approach a very special time of year, at least from an astronomical perspective. This Saturday, December 21st, will mark the Winter Solstice in the Northern…
Note: This article first appeared here on Scienceblogs one year ago today.
There are many ways to celebrate Earth Day, from sustainability efforts to simply appreciating nature.
And while this is a beautiful shot of Forest Park right here in Portland, it doesn't compare -- in my eyes -- to the…
Does anyone have the feeling that our communication, here now and elsewhere in other moments, appears to be convoluted and confused because many too many of us do not yet recognize that the family of humanity literally lives within a modern version of an ancient edifice, the Tower of Babel? The new leviathan-like, distinctly human construction is not made of stone, but instead built out as a "house of cards". This colossal, artificially designed structure is noticeably pyramidal in shape, organized as a patently unsustainable pyramid scheme, and named the global political economy.
For the people who are the primary beneficiaries of such a scheme, the global economy is effectively an object of idolatry. Nothing else really matters to them. These people are the self-proclaimed Masters of the Universe among us. They could not care less about the natural world, life as we know it for the children and future generations, the integrity of Earth. You can readily recognize the idolaters as the leading, self-righteous elders of my "Not So GREAT GREED GRAB Generation". Endlessly consuming and hoarding resources as well as power-mongering are regarded as religious rituals.
Any thoughts?
Steven Earl Salmony
AWAREness Campaign on The Human Population,
established 2001
http://sustainabilityscience.org/content.html?contentid=1176
Chris and Sheril, you snobs who never reply to my emails over the past two years....maybe you should read about my class action lawsuit at the ICC in the Hague against all world leaders for manslaughter of future generatiosn for not doing enough now to stop global warming:
http://northwardho.blogspot.com
See the Reuters news report. I know you will never see my emails because you are VIP people who never reply to common people. What's up with that, Chris and Sheril? We are all in this together, you know.
POLAR CITIES? Oh, you never replied to my polar city emails either. so take a look here. Forget 2048...we are headed for major DARK TIMES by year 2500 where only 200,000 people will be alive in north areas serving as breeding pairs in the Arctic:
http://pcillu101.blogspot.com
If you are going to have a blog, at least reply to your emails? What's up with that?
Danny
Tufts 1971
The scary thing is that we may accomplish demolishing the pale blue dot by 2048. We need to watch out for that.
On a cheerier note than the first comment, what a truly beautiful view of the place in which we live.
May this encourage us all, with the incoming hope of the new administration, to make it a best "pale blue dot".
Happy New Year..
The dangerous devotion of so many leaders to a "business as usual" status quo as well as to unbridled global economic growth and outrageous per capita overconsumption could prove to be lethal for our children also to worship because these forms of idolatry could soon become patently unsustainable on a relatively small, evidently finite and noticeably frangible planet like the planetary home which God has blessed us to inhabit......and not to ravage as the leading elders in my "Not So GREAT GREED GRAB Generation" have been advocating so religiously and doing so recklessly in these early years of Century XXI.
Steven Earl Salmony
AWAREness Campaign on The Human Population,
established 2001
http://sustainabilityscience.org/content.html?contentid=1176