In the article The Cosmic Perspective by Neil deGrasse Tyson he examines a range of topics from human life coming from Mars to how our perspective of the universe relates to religion. In the year 2000, a new space show opened at the Hayden Planetarium called Passport to the Universe, which compared the size of people Milky Way and beyond. While a show like this might make someone feel minuscule and insignificant, Tyson says that seeing the size of the universe actually makes him feel more alive not less and gives him a sense of grandeur. I agree with his idea that looking at us as a people in comparison can actually give you a sense of grandeur. However, when I compare myself to the vastness of space, it puts events on Earth in perspective while showing how influential we can be as a people even if we are small. Tyson argues that perspective is something that …show more content…
In the last hundred years we have made enormous progress in studying not our galaxy but ones billions of light-years away. Only a few hundred years ago our world seemed so big that there were areas of the world that had never been charted and people believed that the Earth was flat (and yes for some reason a few people still believe that today). If we continue to make progress at thus rate the universe will actually begin to seem smaller because of how much more we might know. Some people call Space “The Final Frontier” but at one point all land west of the Mississippi was considered the frontier. Humans are curious people, sometimes too curious for our own good, but when we find something new we always explore and why would it be any different with space. When we explore the out reaches of space will no longer seem so small or insignificant. The idea of one day unlocking all of the Universe’s secrets, solely through our own advancements as a people, is what gives me that sense of
Two men named Harlow Shapley and Heber Curtis has a debate in 1920 that is still important today for changing how we think about galaxies. They talked about five important things. The first thing they debated was how big our galaxy, the Milky Way, is. Shapley said that the Milky Way was much bigger than we first thought, 100,000 light-years across, and that, because it was that big, it had to be the only one. Curtis said the the Milky Way was smaller than that, and that other galaxies existed past ours. They were both right and both wrong. Shapley was right about the size of the Milky Way, and Curtis was right about there being many more galaxies in the universe.
Enduring Understanding: Space Exploration has changed the outlook on space & human existence throughout time as technology has improved.
In this video, Neil Degrasse Tyson, reveals that he has been black his whole life. He discusses how challenging it was to become successful in a white dominated society. He discusses visiting the planetarium at a young age. That visit sparked his interest. He expressed his interests in becoming an astrophysicist to others in the community they frowned up his aspirations. When he shared his interests with his teachers, they recommended that he become an athlete instead. His teachers believed blacks were only good enough to succeed in sports, that becoming a scientist was for white males. He then discusses the stereotypes he has faced throughout his life, despite becoming successful. He has experienced normal discriminatory practices the average
Being perceived as a hero is commonly associated with the action of defeating a common enemy. Although this is true for most heroic stories, some heroes attempt to pacify the world through the education of others to prevent further harm. In certain instances, pacification or education is best suited to be achieved by heroes that are patient, understanding and giving. Countless stories of heroes also involve a strong upbringing that give qualities to determine the type of person and future actions that will personify their lifestyle. Most Greek heroes do not have the patience and understanding that allows Theseus to transform himself and the people around him. Similarly, Neil deGrasse Tyson, coming out of a tumultuous background, educates the populous to understand the world around them. Neil deGrasse Tyson and Theseus
Neil deGrasse Tyson’s interest in stargazing began at an early age, when as a nine year old, he stepped into the Hayden Planetarium Sky Theatre. As a result, Dr. deGrasse Tyson embarked on a lifelong fascination with the stars, enrolling in classes at the Hayden Planetarium, acquiring a telescope and spending long nights on the rooftop of an apartment in the Bronx studying the night sky (Biography.com). At the age of fifteen, he began offering lectures on Astronomy, which caused Dr. Carl Sagan, a famous astronomer to invite him to attend Cornell University, which he declined (Famous Scientists). He holds one Bachelor of Arts, Two Master Degrees, and a Doctorate in Astrophysics (Famous Scientists). He became the director of the Hayden Planetarium twenty-five years after the first time he walked into that institution as an eager child, where he
This paper discusses how cosmology and how philosophy can be connected to one another. In order to explain this reason, the paper is broken down into three subtitles which are: metaphysics, religion, and ontology. Each part connects to cosmology in one term or another. In each subtopic, it will discuss the topic, its background in the philosophical review. As a result, in the conclusion, it will discuss how cosmology compares to them all.
The space that surrounds is not merely the universe is not merely ideas of human minds.
Outer space has always intrigued the human mind. Ever since humans inhabited the Earth, they have always looked to the heavens. Ptolemy, who lived over two thousand years ago, dreamed of being with the stars. He said, “I know that I am mortal by nature, and ephemeral; but when I trace at my pleasure the windings to and fro of the heavenly bodies I no longer touch the earth with my feet: I stand in the presence of Zeus himself and take my fill of ambrosia” (Tyson). At that time, reaching the “final frontier” was not even remotely possible.
It has always been a part of human nature for a man or woman to be curious of their surroundings. First it was what is beyond those mountains; then what is beyond that ocean, then the sky, under the sea, and in the 50s, 60s, and 70s it was space and the moon. Our ancestors and the early civilizations were strongly focused on explorations and expansion. Even notable historical figures were primarily focused to either expand their empire for increased power and fame like Julius Caesar, or to explore new lands for rich booty or possible colonization like Eric the Red. We are doing nothing out of the ordinary by wanting to explore the vast expanse of space first hand. We are curious what is out there. Is there life? Is there a world out there that can sustain human life? As curious beings, we must at least try to answer these questions. If not for man taking personal initiative to answer the question left before him, we would not have a Columbus or Lewis and Clark. Manned space flights instead of robotic crews bring this human element of curiosity to the table.
The thought of infinite space is a scary and exciting thought. The thought that stars, planets, and even suns exist beyond the sights of our strongest telescopes is a very intriguing thought. Some theories suggest parallel universes exist while others suggest that intelligent life is living exactly the way humans on earth live today on far away planets. Perhaps the most frightening and yet thrilling thought of all is the thought of extraterrestrial life amongst the stars, visiting earth, and every so often, being spotted or caught on camera. These interactions are considered extremely rare and witnesses to the events refer to themselves as lucky. Religions have even been created at the thought of aliens. The search for
In the early 1900s, the size of the universe had not been known. There were many different theories about the size, but no one had known for sure. However, in late 1919, George Ellery Hale, founder and Director of Mount Wilson Observatory in Nevada, had the idea of a debate between Harlow Shapley of the Mount Wilson Observatory and Heber D. Curtis of the Lick Observatory over the size of the universe. This debate is now known as The Great Debate. In this debate, titled “The Scale of the Universe,” both men used faulty and fragmented evidence to corroborate their arguments. The winner of the debate was not known at the time, as no one knew if what they were saying was true. However, Curtis was said to be more eloquent in his delivery of his
Since the beginning of time, mankind has sought after learning about and exploring the universe. This yearning drove us to achieve such great things as the journey to the moon and the discovery of water on Mars. Nowadays, several people argue as to whether or not space exploration is worth the effort. I believe that it is humanity’s instinctual nature to pursue a better understanding of ourselves, and our universe. Further understanding of our universe will lead to the discovery of new technologies and ways to secure humanity’s survivability.
Some may think exploring outer space is simply a human’s curiosity. This is true but on the contrary, people explore to learn about things they may have never known and touch on the essence of the creation of the universe. Another reason for exploring this uncharted area is the technological advancements people have made and immense amount of innovation they have achieved in this field (Wood). Lastly, scientists study the other planets just in case one day humans need to relocate after overwhelming damage has been done to Earth. Suffice to say, it is a vital part of today’s day and age to research outer space (Rothery).
The argument suggesting life existing on other Earth-like planets has been present since man first looked into space and questioned his own existence and the existence of others like him. Today there are many theories on the existence of intelligent life elsewhere in the universe, but only one theory goes beyond them and into an even larger realm. The contents of this theory, known as the “multiverse” theory, suggest that humans on Earth live within one universe of many others that reside within a primordial vacuum containing many other universes (Jenkins and Perez). Each of these universes possesses potentially different natural constants and physical laws that govern them differently, thus calling forth some logical questions. First, what is the likelihood such universes even exist, and second, how can we test the constants and laws that still result in the possibility of intelligent life in other universes? Moreover, what implications does this theory have on the ideology that this universe is designed specifically for human beings?
13.8 Billion years ago, long before the creation of the popular television show, The Big Bang Theory occurred and is now the most widely recognized cosmological model for the universe. The Big Bang theory is an attempt to explain how the universe we know today began. Over the years, numerous discoveries and research have revealed that our universe did have a beginning, and that there was nothing before the Big Bang occurred. Throughout history there have been other theories as to how our universe began, though the Big Bang still prevails. One of the most exciting parts about the universe is a vast and fascinating place and there are even new discoveries still being made today. The Big Bang theory is widely regarded as the most likely scenario