Odysseuse on the Move

Sunday, January 29, 2006

Star Stuff

astronomy the study of objects and matter outside the earth's atmosphere and of their physical and chemical properties
cosmos an orderly harmonious systematic universe

Throughout the centuries man has gazed at the stars in wonder. The more we discover about them, the more there is to know. Where did the search begin, and how far has it gone? And what does it mean for us?

Galileo Galilei (1564-1642) built the first telescopes that brought our solar system planets into view as more than pinpoints of light in the night sky but as solid orbs lit by the sun. As telescopes improved, complicated questions arose about light. Galileo thought light was composed of corpuscles. Today we know his "corpuscles" are photons. Galileo demonstrated that light would move, which begged the question: how fast?

In 1849 Armand-Hippolyte-Louis Fitzeau first measured the speed of light as 186,000 miles per second. That means that when we see photographs of the universe taken by the Hubble telescope and others even more powerful, we are looking back in time - at events and objects some of which existed billions of years ago, almost back to the beginning of our universe. As we look at those photographs and images coming to us now, we are seeing ourselves at a time when we were subatomic chemical elements.

In the December 2005 issue of Scientific American, in the article titled Skeptic, Michael Shermer writes "There are many ways to be spiritual and science is one with its awe-inspiring account of who we are and where we came from." Mr Shermer goes on to quote the late Carl Sagan as follows: "We are made of star stuff. We are a way for the cosmos to know itself....We've begun at last to wonder about our origins, star stuff contemplating the stars, organized collections of ten billion billion billion atoms contemplating the evolution of matter, tracing that long path by which it arrived at consciousness..."

The questions posed in the first paragraph of this post are answered here only in part. Other answers are yours to give.

Sunday, January 22, 2006

Miracle and Mystery

miracle an extremely outstanding or unusual event, thing, or accomplishment
mystery something not understood or beyond understanding

These are brief definitions of matters that most have experienced or at least acknowledged. The mythical Roman god, Janus, (for whom January is named), looking back in time, may have recognized as miracles events that once were mysteries; but in facing the future could see only mystery.

It is appropriate that Janus is portrayed as having one head bearing opposite faces, for miracles and mysteries are often entwined, encircling each other as enigmas and thus eliciting conjecture from great minds throughout the centuries of human existence. It is a fascinating subject that also is relevant to 2006 C E and beyond.

I pose the following questions for your consideration and not necessarily for commentary, although your viewpoints are always welcome here.

Have you ever said only a miracle could prevent this or allow that to happen? Did that miracle come to pass? If so, do you still refer to it as "miracle" even though common events brought it about?
Have you faced a mystery and solved it? If so, was it solved because time revealed an answer? Or was it solved because someone knew and let you know?
Do you think that mystery and miracle co-exist, or are they separate? Does one of them follow the other?

Sir Thomas Browne 1605-1682 wrote
I love to lose myself in a mystery, to pursue my Reason...


Walt Whitman 1819-1892 wrote
To me every hour of the light and dark is a miracle,
Every cubic inch of space is a miracle...

Sunday, January 01, 2006

January 1, 2006

Janus a Roman god that is identified with doors, gates, and all beginnings, and that is represented artistically with two opposite faces

Well, Janus, what say you?

I see that what is past has been revealed,
And looking forward I see a mystery.