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
1. “New Horizons” https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/newhorizons/main/index.html NASA. Oct.16, 2015. Oct. 25, 2016
2. Hubble Space Telescope: Pictures, Facts & History. http://www.space.com/15892-hubble-space-telescope.html. April 24, 2013. Oct. 25, 2015
3. “How Many Satellites Are In Space?” http://www.universetoday.com/42198/how-many-satellites-in-space/. OCTOBER 24, 2013. OCTOBER 25, 2015
4. “Astronomy In Everyday Life” .https://www.iau.org/public/themes/astronomy_in_everyday_life/. October 25, 2015
5. “Solar Storms Are Dangerous to Us” http://earthsky.org/space/are-solar-storms-dangerous-to-us. Dec. 9, 2012. Oct. 25, 2015
6. Near Earth Objects Program http://neo.jpl.nasa.gov/neo/groups.html. October 25, 2015. October 25, 2015
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