Happy Earth Day from the Universe (Synopsis)

“It took less than an hour to make the atoms, a few hundred million years to make the stars and planets, but five billion years to make man!” -George Gamow

Whenever Earth Day comes around, I see a lot of different reactions from people. Some express their passion for the environment, others express disdain for the whole concept as a distraction. Some step up to act as responsible stewards of the world, while others fear nuclear accidents, asteroid strikes or climate change.

Image credit: NASA / Voyager 1. This (cropped) 1977 image is the first photo of the complete Earth and Moon in a single photograph.

But for me, I can't help but marvel at the entire world itself, the one remarkable, cosmic story that every one of us has in common. No matter where we were born, where we live or what we've experienced, there's a story of natural history common to us all. And each Earth Day, I like to stop and just appreciate that for a little while.

Image credit: NASA / STS-121 / Space Shuttle Discovery / International Space Station.

Go and read the whole thing here.