The above image of Globular cluster Messier 3, contains around half of million stars. It is one of the largest and brightest ever discovered. Located at 34,000 light-years from Earth, it is part of our milky way galaxy.
And these stars are ancient. At eight billion years of age, they make our sun rather a young sibling. These are densely packed too. All within a radius of just 90 light-years.
I keep looking at this picture and try to absorb the knowledge that each one of these stars has the potential to harbor planets. Some caring like Earth, nurturing and protecting life. Other hostile and harsh beyond our imagination.
What strange life forms might have risen and blended into the dust again during the immensity of this time. How many are still there, we don’t know. Some tied to their day-to-day existence. Some capable of higher thoughts. Some even looking upwards and wondering about the nature of the points of light in their night skies. Others, capable of technologies that are even opaque to our mind’s eye.
What bizarre societies, cultures, and civilizations might be out there. What beliefs, theologies, and philosophies they might have dreamt and practiced. What ethics, values, and morals they might be teaching to their young ones. What languages, literature, and works of arts they might be capable of creating and absorbing through their senses.
…. And this is just one little patch of sky, not even visible to our naked eyes. Our galaxy, among billions upon billions in the universe, is hundreds of thousands of times greater than this meager blotch.
Will we ever be able to cross the abyss of space and visit such wonderful worlds? Communicate with such fantastic creatures, learn, cooperate and explore together.
This is still all part of science fiction and fantasy but the potential is out there. Someday these dreams will be realized. It will take time but our future is full of stars. I am certain of that.
No comments:
Post a Comment