Читать книгу Universe: The story of the Universe, from earliest times to our continuing discoveries - Peter Grego - Страница 9

The cosmos includes everything – the Earth included – and while science has amassed a great deal of knowledge about the physical nature of our home planet, the intricate processes at work on its living surface, and in its oceans and atmosphere, remain only partly understood. In modern times, living in a polluted big city where the Sun itself competes for attention amid the concrete canyons, it is easy for an individual to feel utterly detached from the Earth and the rest of the Universe – spiritually, mentally and physically. In the pre-industrial age, our ancestors were much more aware of the cycles of the heavens and the Earth. However, plant any 21st century urbanite beneath a dark, star-studded night sky, away from light pollution and the trappings of ‘civilisation’, and all those hardwired visceral feelings soon return.

Our physical bodies, our clothing and jewellery, the book you’re holding right now and the chair you’re sitting on – everything around you, including the planet beneath your feet – is all made from material produced inside long-dead stars. Knowing that we are made of ‘star-stuff’ allows us to feel more intimately connected with the Universe.

Viewing the awesome cosmos.