Gaining Perspective (Part 1) - Sense of Scale

Our Home is but a tiny speck in the enormity of the Universe

We start the first part of this five part series by looking at the only home we have in the vastness of the Universe. To realize how insignificant our planet when compared to grandness of scale and distance in our Universe is a humbling experience.

How do we measure up? 

Consider the following:

- One million Earths would fill the Sun
- The Sun has a diameter over 100,000 times that of Earth
- Other stars are 5 million to 300 million the size of our Sun
- One of the largest stars has a diameter that would reach out to Jupiter (Our Solar System)
- The Voyager 2 spacecraft took 40 years to reach the outer edge of the Solar System
- It takes light from the Sun 20 hours to reach the same point (Interstellar Space)
- There are many trillions of other galaxies containing thousands of trillions of planets

 Our Pale Blue Dot

Earth is our home planet. It may be small but is all we have to sustain our human race. Our fragile world provides all we need to survive. We are one human race, one people living on a beautiful blue planet teeming with life.

We have seen our society evolve from the Stone-age hunter-gather lifestyle to our modern Western Society that has emerged from our Judeo-Christian culture and the Industrial Revolution. Today our modern society is based upon science and technology.

Our people are educated, skilled, enlightened, work and family oriented and non-aggressive. We try to live a cooperative, harmonious and caring lifestyle. Our future vision is a world living in peace and prosperity. A most noble vision for tomorrow's generations but there are many challenges to face of the road ahead. The strength of our society and our democracy is only as strong as the next generation that make the decisions. Our Western Society could easily collapse and break apart.


Our population is increasing rapidly. Billions more mouths to feed from a reducing area of arable land suitable for agriculture. Billions more humans that will consume our limited resources. Billions more humans who will increase energy demand to support the lifestyles which we take for granted today.

Students. You are the future. You are the problem solvers of tomorrow. The world needs you. There is a place waiting for you now. We are at a tipping point and the survival of the human race will be in your hands.

We have no other home to go to. We have no "backup" Earth. Education, enlightenment and cooperation is just the first step to ensuring our survival. We hope human extinction is not an option.

Yes students. It's a frightening thought but it's done to you!