12) There are those who find the physical organization of Earth just the surface manifestation of a complex interrelationship of forces and forms.

"Into the physical world of the earth sphere reach the form, life and light worlds of the sphere, and through and around all of these are the spheres of water, air and fire.

The physical plane of the human physical world exists in four states of matter: the radiant, airy, fluid, and solid states. The solid state in its radiant-solid, airy-solid, fluid-solid, and solid-solid substates, makes up the visible, physical universe. The fluid, airy, and radiant states of matter of the physical plane of the human physical world are invisible and are at present beyond the reach of chemistry and physics. In other words, all that is subject to the investigation by the natural sciences is the solid state with its four substates, of the physical plane of the physical world, and that only in small part..." (Harold W. Percival, Thinking and Destiny, 1946)

13) Most of the weight in the galaxies does not shine, nor is it observed by any other wave band we know. This matter is know to exist because of the measurable force of gravity beyond the edge of the central bright region is greater than can be accounted for by the shinning mass alone. This excess matter is called 'Dark Matter.' All spectral lines of hydrogen, all the matter found by its radio or X-ray signatures, is only a small part of what is there. There is ten times as much matter in galaxies as what is seen and measured by astronomers. We know how unique Earth is, and that rare and specific geophysical conditions predisposed Earth to develop life leading eventually to the evolution of Homo sapiens. Still, there is a huge missing piece to the puzzle of Universe. This undefined Dark Matter, which includes neutrinos passing constantly through Earth, might exercise influence on us just as it does on the rotation of Sun around the spiral of Milky Way. (Maybe this is what Astrology is about?) All the circumstances of air, water, earth and fire had to be just right for Earth to come into being; so these were and we are, and we are very exceptional in the known Universe. And the more we learn the more questions we seem to have.

14) A Scottish doctor, James Hutton, living in the 18th century AD, was compelled to ask these kind of questions. He was also a prominent chemist and farmer, and is credited with being the father of Geology. He studied closely the layering of rock in Scotland's provinces, the limestone, sandstone and shales that gave evidence of being laid down as soft sediments that settled to the bottom of an ancient sea. These sediments compacted and slowly turned to stone by the pressure of further layers of sediment settling above. Heat generated within Earth forces molten lava to the surface heaving this bedrock above sea level to form mountains. He was impressed that rain and wind wear against these levels of rock and erode bits and pieces which in turn find their way to the bottom of the sea to begin the process again. In 1788 he presented his findings to the Royal Society of Edinburgh, concluding: "The result, therefore, of this physical inquiry is, that we find no vestige of a beginning -- no prospect of an end."

15) Hutton's conclusion conflicted strikingly with the prevailing view (still held by some religions) that Earth is much younger than scientists calculate. Archbishop James Ussher, Primate of Ireland, calculated the age of Earth by totaling the generations of men and women mentioned in The Bible, beginning with Adam and Eve. Ussher claimed Earth was created just 6,000 years before, on the evening of October 22, in 4004 BC, to be precise. Still there are those who believe Earth was put together much as one might lay out a landscaped garden, and that it has changed little since, except perhaps during the Great Flood. One can see in the work of Ussher the same compelling need to have answers, and, for both men, a certain arrogance to believe dogmatically the answers developed.

16) Earth's temperate climate is due primarily but not entirely to its proximity to Sun. It is neither extremely far (thus not composed of ice) nor extremely near, which would burn off the life giving gasses. A layer of ozone (O3) adds the final protective layer around Earth and creates the built in thermostat. This ozone screens out most of Sun's ultraviolet light which would otherwise kill living cells. Ozone is unstable at lower levels of the atmosphere (although it is a factor in air pollution) even though it is a common product of lightning. It only exists permanently at the right altitude with lower pressure and lower temperatures in Stratosphere surrounding Earth. In a zone that begins about 10 miles (16 km) above the equator and 7 miles (11km) above the temperate latitudes and closer over the poles, the temperature is relatively constant at -56 degrees C. This level extends to about 19 miles (30 km). Above that the Mesosphere, remarkably, becomes warmer to 2 degrees C, because some of Sun's heat is trapped there. It takes all the unique features of Earth integrated and sustained to be the incubator for life, a delicate balance that is 'probably' repeated many times in the hundreds of billions of galaxies of Universe.

17) Cosmic rays bombard Earth continuously along with other particles. It is so important to know more about the composition of these particles and waves that the European Space Agency scheduled a launch of a satellite to study gamma-rays in September 2001. The International Gamma-Ray Astrophysics Laboratory (INTEGRAL) should provide many answers and, as always, raise many more questions. Scientists will be able to analyze the composition and image celestial gamma-ray sources, report on violent explosions, the formation of elements, black holes and supernovae. This effort is expected to help identify new gamma-ray sources.

18) When man first described Earth, he saw himself as the center of Universe. Later discoveries put a lie to this supposition when Earth was proven to be round not flat, about 7,927 miles in diameter, part of a single star solar system along with eight other planets of varying sizes traveling around our magnificent Sun. Earth being the third planet, with an average distance of 93,003,000 miles from Sun and whizzing around at a rate of 30 kilometers (about 18.5 miles) per second, more than ten times faster than the fastest bullets and artillery shells. Even at this frenetic pace, Earth maintains a unique atmosphere capable of both supporting and defending life. The solar system is part of Milky Way, a galaxy with a radius of some 50,000 light years. Together with these 100 billion suns we reside in the Local Group part of the Virgo Super-cluster of galaxies. Here we are inside an infinite expanse of Universe, probably, which brings us to the original question about the center of Universe. Each conscious human can make this claim legitimately because Universe extends infinitely far in all directions, from each of us the same. A science teacher asked my step-daughter this question for a home work assignment: "Where is the center of Universe?" I told her, I would pay her a dollar if she answered the question saying that She is the center, even though she knew the teacher would mark her wrong. She did, the teacher did and I did. My intention was to expand her self-esteem, frame of reference and make a memorable point about infinity.

19) Earth's Atmosphere is a true work of art. This Atmosphere, lightly diffused with many gaseous elements, most notably oxygen (and ozone), hydrogen, nitrogen and even carbon, serves many purposes (aside from containing the air we breath) essential to man and all living things. It heats and burns off thousands of meteors that would otherwise collide with the surface each day. Imagine how difficult life would be dodging these bullets interminably, as if dodging lightning from the clouds wasn't bad enough, at least it's predictable. The Atmosphere graciously absorbs most of the ultraviolet light that causes skin cancer at increasing rates and the remaining light is so potent that it even destroys the ubiquitous, unctuous plastic waste. Earth's Atmosphere keeps us warm during the night by insulating and conserving heat gained in the day; a cloudy night in the winter is usually warmer than a crystal clear starry night (although given the choice I opt for the starry night). The Atmosphere moves water around the surface, taking evaporation from the oceans and putting rain in the mountains and occasionally in the deserts, causing erosion, creating farm land and hosting all kinds of weather, some of which becomes lethal to man. The most famous extinction of dinosaurs 65 million years ago between the 'Cretaceous and Tertiary periods,' is reasonably well confirmed because traces of an asteroid that struck Earth have been discovered at many sites. This traumatic event would have changed the atmosphere drastically; first cooling Earth's surface, enlarging the polar ice area enough to reduce sea level, killing many acquatic shore animals and fish; then overheating with excess CO2, delivering a lethal blow to many other species.

20) Widespread glaciation occurred at least twice: in the 'Precambrian era' the first time around 2.2-2.3 billion years ago, and the second in the late 'Proterozoic era' around 700 million years ago. The evidence of this ancient glaciation shows that Earth's climate has been much the same for a very long time. These glacial events, as recent as 20 thousand years ago, are largely influential in creating characteristics that we see on Earth's terrain. Mars, on the other hand, has no climate as such, because it has little or no atmosphere, no water vapor, etc. But now it is believed that Mars has water under the soil surface (as does Moon). New channels of what appear to be eroded canyons have appeared at the planet's extremes, both north and south of 30 degrees latitude, each event carved on the cold, shaded sides of slopes. Any water that might appear on the sunny sides of hills would evaporate almost instantly. Moisture that seeped out in shadowed areas would form a temporary ice rind that would last until the pressure of upwelling water behind it caused it to burst. When it did, there would be a sudden downward gush that would leave precisely the kind of channel spotted by Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft. Many of the 65,000 images, taken over a three year period since the spacecraft has been circling Mars, show these kind of erosion formations. Earthbound adventurers are familiar with the deep, dry gullies and canyons cut by flashfloods in the middle of desert environments. The same structural geology on Mars comes as somewhat of a surprise, however.

21)

Good Morning.
Look east toward the dim pink
glow as the early morning sky
looses its Star quality.
Its gestation continues as the display
of color brightens.
Your mind is lazy from sleep
so linger, enjoy this moment of
transition.
If you watch carefully you can
gain a new perspective.
Can you feel Earth's motion?
As the horizon drops ever so slowly,
Falling lower, you feel your height,
Briefly anxious, you fear the descending
Edge.
This is the moment of Truth.
Our Sun does not rise,
Earth and you fall forward
into its gaze.
The pink shading encircling the globe
erupts into an orange-yellow epiphany as you
accept this motion and
acknowledge Earth's rotation.
The descent broadens as the pale
yellow turns to blue,
the day matures and your
sensation of movement fades.
You have in this moment
perceived yourself as part of Universe.
You have felt the fear and humility
only your species can comprehend.
Does this simple truth awaken other
questions about who you are?
Why you're here?
These questions come to mind
as easily as the erroneous concept
of the rising Sun.
You are not caused To Be by an
unseen force any more than
Sun rises. You are
a self, a conscious, in
mathematics you are a given.
So the Why? does not apply.
Asking why is an anachronism of
the night waiting for Sun to Rise.
Ask instead: 'What' and accept the new
day as a canvas upon
which you can create your life's beauty
and do what you will.
Don't deny the fear, the anxiety of creating
your own unique answer.
Accept humbly the glory of your potential.
Find in the splendid colors of the early
morning sky the inspiration
to create a thrilling life, a
masterpiece when freely shared
with the ones you love. (IJ - August 30, 1998)