Hi Guys! So I did this thesis/research paper last month concerning about the importance of studying astronomy in saving the entire species of humankind. I really hope that you'll take time to read this and be moved by my words. Please also leave your comments behind thank you. All resources used are mentioned.
The Link Between Human Existence and the Universe
It nearly
costs the United States of America 2.5 billion USD just to construct the
revolutionary Hubble Space Telescope that would allow mankind to view the
universe at the visible part of the spectrum. Furthermore, another five
succeeding space services were made just to rectify the fallacies of the said
spacecraft, which costs the America another one billion USD just to maintain
the Hubble in perfect shape. (Space.com - Hubble Space Telescope: Pictures,
Facts & History)
In order
for humans to venture and explore the highly-eccentric dwarf planet Pluto, the
USA once again launched the New Horizons Spacecraft, to seek answers about the
mysteries of the said dwarf planet. (NASA- New Horizons)
With such a
big amount of money spent on space crafts, still, over these 1, 700 satellites
present right now on the universe, it only covers up to 3% of the night sky.
People, most especially the media, constantly ask astronomers, “Is studying
astronomy and space exploration really feasible for humankind?” (How Many
Satellites Are In Space)
Astronomers face this question on a daily basis. Some even deem their
work as futile, because they cannot see any conspicuous contributions astronomy
has done to humankind.
On the
contrary, astronomy has and will always give colossal benefits, though most of
the time, those benefits are often viewed as insubstantial because the benefits
of astronomy are not always tangible. Some of which might even be crucial for
the preservation of human species.
There are
several plausible contributions of astronomy that can save humankind from both
natural and man-made catastrophes. Here are some of the reasons from the
thousands one.
First of
all, astronomy allows us to monitor the earth’s evolution, to verify the weather’s
transition, to analyze the climate’s variability, to detect the rising sea
level, and to search for the disaster risked areas. Observation of the earth
can prevent the occurrence of major catastrophes. Thereby, astronomy aids in
diminishing some environmental problems we are facing right now. Advancements
in satellite technology has not only expanded our view and knowledge of space,
but it also allowed us to view our home planet from a greater distance which
gives us a bigger picture of earth, consequently, improving our knowledge about
our home planet.
Space
exploration and astronomy also paved way to technological advancement and some
breakthroughs in technology nowadays. These technologies like the pace maker,
artificial limbs, and radial tires can prevent the occurrence of catastrophes
and can even be used when the said catastrophes did really happen. The pace
maker, one of the many breakthroughs in technology brought about by space
exploration and astronomy, is an artificial device that keeps the heart beating
in a regular rhythm. It is commonly used when someone has a heart failure.
Therefore, the pace maker could allow someone to live longer and it could also
prevent the occurrence of further complications, that could lead to major
catastrophes in the living individual.
The solar
system’s lone star, the sun, shaped our weather from day to day. Our weather,
in return, influenced our choice of food, clothing, and activity. From this, we
can see that the sun has the capability to influence our decision and to cause
havoc to earth the least way we could possibly imagine. Space weather is mostly
influenced by the sun’s magnetic activities. During the sun’s solar maximum,
the production of sunspot is at its height, and the sun’s activities are most
active. It frequently released energies and other solar energetic particles
that could possibly lead to the worst case scenario- a coronal mass ejection.
The coronal mass ejection has a power roughly that of a 20 million nuclear
bombs. When CME happens, solar plasmas are released into space, disrupting satellite
communications and destroying power grids. However, during the solar minimum,
the sun’s inactive stage, coronal holes are formed due to the lack of magnetic
events, which in turn caused the solar wind to exit freely without limit. The
solar wind streams plasmas and particles from the sun out in space, where it is
bound to hit our planet. When the solar wind hits a planet, its radiation would
cause severe damage to the living creatures living inside the planet. Solar
storms – and their effect – are no problem for us because the Earth’s atmosphere and magnetosphere protect our human
bodies from the effects of solar flares, CME, and solar wind. On the other hand, solar
storms (collective term for CME, solar flares and solar wind) can be dangerous
to our technologies. When a coronal mass ejection, or CME,
strikes Earth’s atmosphere, it causes a temporary disturbance of the Earth’s
magnetic field. The storm on the sun causes a type of storm on the Earth, known
as geomagnetic storms. The most powerful solar storms send coronal mass
ejections (CMEs), containing charged particles, into space. If Earth happens to
be in the path of a CME, the charged particles can slam into our atmosphere,
disrupt satellites in orbit and even cause them to fail, and bathe high-flying
airplanes with radiation. They can disrupt telecommunications and navigation
systems. They have the potential to affect power grids, and have been known to
black out entire cities, even entire regions. One of the most famous and
destructive events in the history that is caused by the solar storm is the
Carrington Event, which happened way back in 1859. (EarthSky: Solar Storms are
dangerous to us)
Perhaps the
most prominent threat from space right now to earth is the potential impact
from another celestial body in space. The celestial body could be anything
ranging from 1 km to 1, 000 km; it could be an asteroid, a satellite, or a meteoroid.
It is essential to take note that it is not a question of if there will be any
future deep sky object (collective term for astronomical objects that is beyond
our solar system) impact, or rather the question should be, when will it be?
The world must seriously prepare for such likely scenarios because asteroid and
other near earth objects (NEO) hold a strong threat in obliterating and
diminishing life here on earth. Astronomy has allowed us to monitor and track
these objects, as well as scan our immediate neighborhood for new objects. As
of October 2013, the number of known potentially hazardous asteroids (PHA;
asteroids within 0.005 AU) with diameters over 1 km is 155. The number of PHA
that could hit Earth is pretty astonishing and the world must seriously prepare
for this unlikely event. (NASA :Near Earth Objects Program)
The sun is
destined to live for another 5.4 billion years and the life of the earth
depends on the sun. Therefore, the earth is expected to live for another 5.4
billion years same as that of the sun. However, looking at the condition of the
earth right now, statistics says that the earth will most likely reach its
death toll in the upcoming 50 years. With extreme weather climates, unusual
rise of the sea level, and diminishing resources of our planet, space travel is
most crucial right now. Astronomy
continues to understand habitability and the potential for lives in other
worlds. It allows us to study and examine other worlds and gain an insight on
the possible habitats as well as potential resources and unlikely risks of
exoplanets. Interstellar travel will allow us to be certain of our species, and
most importantly, it preserves our race here in the unimaginably vast cosmos. Likewise,
interstellar travel could allow humankind to voyage around the universe. In
addition, astronomy could actually terraform an inhabitable planet to a habitable
planet, for us to live in. Terraforming or commonly known as the “Earth-
shaping” is the moderately shaping and terraforming of a celestial body with
similar conditions to that of the earth, for it to make habitable for us.
Astronomy
has always triggered a silent revolution within us. This revolution often
includes that of the religion, science, and society where in we often find our
ideas and minds interlinked together with the universe. This ephemeral
soliloquy could trigger a new breed of curiosity, which when nurtured, could
give significant breakthroughs to the modern era.
Although we
live in a world right now wherein irrepressible hunger, overwhelming poverty,
and constant conflagration are prevalent, we argue that astronomy has no long
term benefits that could aid mankind to achieve a much dreamt civilized society
wherein everything is in perfect shape.
As the race
of humankind is about to reach its point of precipice, it is important to
invest in astronomy more than ever, as astronomy constantly pushes through new
innovations, discoveries, and solutions that we might not say so, could
actually hold the key to the most grandeur and baffling enigmas of the universe
– the key to the survival of our species and to finally answer the question,
“Are we alone in the universe?”
Astronomy
constantly reminds people of two ambivalent ideas. First, that the universe is
vast and we are, but only a tiny fraction of importance. Second, life as we
know and experience here on earth is both rare and precious and we must work
hard to preserve it with the aid of astronomy. It is extraordinary to come
across a home as beautiful as the earth. We must cherish the pale blue dot, the
one and only home known and will ever be known to mankind – the earth. (IAU:
Astronomy In Everyday Life)
Long time
ago, before humans evolved to life, the dinosaurs became extinct, but why is
this so? Dinosaurs don’t have the physical and mental capability to create a space
program that could deflect the asteroid that is about to hit them. Therefore,
they just succumb to the life-shattering impact that the asteroid has on the
surface of earth. Consequently, they became extinct. Humans shouldn’t take this
for granted. If we still don’t have a space program and any asteroid will come
any nearer, it will just serve us right. This just proves how crucial astronomy
can be in terms of our survival.
Studying
astronomy should not be delayed or taken for granted further. Astronomy has
already saved humankind from the past and it will continue to save us in the
future. As astronomy continues to revolutionize our way of thinking on a
world-wide scale, this just proved that astronomy is indeed significant for the
survival of our species. The researcher hope that the reader finally realize
the relevance of astronomy and will take time to look up to the night sky, and
appreciate the beauty of the cosmos.
Bibliography
4. “Astronomy
In Everyday Life” .https://www.iau.org/public/themes/astronomy_in_everyday_life/.
October 25, 2015
