Ponder the pale blue dot – a gift of seasonal good will and New Year optimism from notestoponder..
Ponder the pale blue dot – a gift of seasonal good will and New Year optimism from notestoponder..
The cosmos doesn’t have to by a mystery, the first step begins with our Moon. Once you know the Moon, cosmic threads unravel with confidence. Allow me to introduce the Moon –
Moon phase composite via Fred Espenak. Read more about this image.
1. When you see the moon, think of the whereabouts of the sun
2. The moon rises in the east and sets in the west, each and every day
3. The moon takes about a month (one month) to orbit the Earth
4. The moon’s orbital motion is toward the east
http://earthsky.org/moon-phases/understandingmoonphases
The other day I was asked “what’s so great about Carl Sagan?” Caught off guard, indecipherable splutters formed the sentence “how much time do you have?”, followed immediately by “I’m sorry, that was rude. What do you know about Sagan?” The response, “he had a TV show about space, Cosmic or something like that”, landed with a thud. Answering “yes he narrated a show called Cosmos”, gave me time to think.
Throughout the brief exchange continuous loops of “what’s so great” played in my head. Feeling disinclined to spew snippets of Sagan’s accomplishments forced me to admit I was annoyed. I heard myself say “Google Carl Sagan’s biography if you want to know the magnitude of his influence, listen to him if you need to know why I consider him a great man”
Ponder galactic proportions. I can’t make promises, but know for certain – whenever I’m grumpy, disillusioned, fed up with politics or gob smacked by breaking news – this video relaxes my brow.