Space: The Final Frontier
Even though it was only a TV show, that short speech at the beginning of the original Star Trek show really did a good job of capturing our feelings about space. It is these feelings that drive our love for astronomy and our desire to learn more about it.
What’s most exciting about studying the universe is also most frustrating, and that no matter how expert we become, we’re always just starting out. But if it’s any consolation, some of the most advanced minds in science and history have always felt the same way about space. Even great men like Copernicus and Einstein looked into space and realized that they were just a sample in the presence of such an infinity.
Of course, space is not infinite. It must be finite which means it must end in some way. But even if it is, no one on this small planet has been able to find out where it is. The only thing that has led us to the “end of the universe” is our limited ability to look deep into space.
But conquering the ultimate frontier of space only means seeing more stars and planets and building the biggest telescopes we can. There are some mind-blowing ideas about how space works that are ahead of us to conquer. Only the Big Bang and the expanding universe were enough to make your mind wander. But then we have the advent of Einstein and the theory of relativity to set the whole concept on its ear. The contingency space is not only three dimensions but the time dimension is exportable and turns and even time travel is almost possible.
The limits of space are as far as the mind travels. When Stephen Hawking showed us the secret of black holes, all of a sudden, time and space could collapse and turn into those intergalactic pressure cookers. Without the wonders of radio astronomy, these ideas would remain mere ideas but science is slowly catching on to a theory.
Also, Read – Radio Astronomy for Beginners
But the genius of mathematicians and geniuses like Hawking and Einstein has continued to expand our understanding of space. We now have a string theory that could revolutionize everything we know about how space, time, and the universe relate to themselves. We can’t just say, no, we’ve explored a lot. This is the last limit. Starship Enterprise won’t stop exploring, will it? Because there is still an obstacle ahead that has a name but no answer yet. It’s called Unified Field Theory, and those who know it tell us that when the Einsteins and Hawkings of our time dismantle that theory, all other theories will apply.
These exciting concepts seem to be some of the tools for putting the vastness of space into context. That might even be worth science fiction. Science fiction writers are often not visionary about what might happen in the future, but they give us the idea that space is knowable, and that we can conquer the limits just as we have conquered others, regardless of How big or how small. In front of us.
Also, Read – Sky: Pictures in the Sky
For mankind, this is often enough. If we get the view that we can conquer something, even if it is so big, so big, then it seems that we are capable of doing anything. And the love of astronomy, like no other power on Earth, has united mankind towards that common goal of conquering the universe. The quest to establish the International Space Station and collaborate to extend its reach beyond the planet has found common ground among nations that would otherwise not be able to walk on Earth’s surface.
This alone may be one reason why we should support astronomy at the local level and space programs at the national level. It is something that brings peace instead of war and makes us better human beings. But more than that, it seems that this is what we were made to do. It may be our destiny to reach the stars. If so, our love for astronomy is more than a hobby, it is a calling.
Also, Read – Nature Astronomy Impact Factor