relative

obmar · Site Admin Joined: 14 Apr 2006 Posts: 5697

http://images.google.com.my/imgre...g.mozilla:en-US:official%26sa%3DN

The Inquisitor · Joined: 17 Jun 2006 Posts: 772

Very interesting stuff, obmar.

It really puts our existence into perspective.

It's too bad they didn't also discuss the other phenomena such as Black Holes, Neutron Stars, White Dwarfs, etc.

obmar · Site Admin Joined: 14 Apr 2006 Posts: 5697

It shows that we, human race are non existance...

Even earth is too small to be recognised that it exist.

Yet we are too arrogant, at times

The Inquisitor · Joined: 17 Jun 2006 Posts: 772

Yes, I guess it shows that too.

I've been studying Astronomy since the seventh grade, 1967, so I am kinda used to the idea that the Earth is rather insignificant in the cosmic view of things. That's the one argument about extraterrestrials that seems to be the most important. Why would any other civilization out there, if they exist, even bother with the Earth? Even if we destroy the whole planet, there would be absolutely no difference on a cosmic scale. it would go totally unnoticed.

obmar · Site Admin Joined: 14 Apr 2006 Posts: 5697

yes, but we humans are so arrogant.

if earth is insignificant, what is the creation of man itself....

the scale of man to the size of earth too makes man already insignificant...

we don't have to compare it to the whole universe...

The Inquisitor · Joined: 17 Jun 2006 Posts: 772

Ah,

But the ignorance of man put us at the center of the universe for centuries. Aristotle described the Universe as revolving around the Earth and showed that all stars follow in a circular motion which repeats itself daily. The few star wanderers, or planets as they were known in Greek, could be shown to revolve as well, as long as one used the appropriate epicycles to do so.

Copernicus was one of the first to really challenge this idea along with Gallileo and his telescope. it took thousands of years and the lives of many brilliant theoriticiens to break man's belief that he was the center of everything. It may be just as long for man to realize that we are really only an insignificant formation of dust particles with no great distinction to behold, except for the fact that we are also created in God's image. But nowhere in the scriptures (that I know of) does it state that we are the only ones thus created in the whole Universe. Therefore, it is quite conceivable, and highly likely, that other Godlike creatures exist on planets throughout the Universe. It would definitely be interesting to see what they look like.

I also don't believe that God's creatures need to all be carbon-based. Just because we are doesn't mean that that's the only possibility throughout the Universe. I think carbon is very useful because it is a balanced atom, neither acidic nor alkaline. This probably helps it survive in the varied conditions that have existed on Earth which has required changing properties in order to evolve. it is also at the base of the amino acid, one of the most essential requirements for the existence of life itself.

But that doesn't mean that another molecule based in, say silicon, couldn't evolve just as easily on a planet with a Methane-based atmosphere (remember that our own atmosphere consists of only 20% oxygen). Uranus and Neptune are both good examples of Methane-based atmospheres. Methane is heavier and can linger on planets that would normally lose their oxygen layer due to temperature or distance from their solar body.

The possibilities are perhaps endless with the many different variables out there. It would be interesting to see what else God is capable of creating on worlds with other settings.