Pale Blue Dot
The explorations of NASA’s Voyager Program have fascinated me for years. The idea that we could send a spacecraft outside the very edges of our own solar system and into the vastness of space boggles my mind, not to mention the awe inspiring Golden Records, discs included on each Voyager craft that contain information about our planet and the human race. These discs are coated with Uranium and have a half-life of over 4 billion years! It’s amazing to think something containing valuable facts about Earth will be floating in deep space for what could be billions of years, and still function.
Voyager 1 is currently outside our solar system and passing through the sheath that separates us from the rest of the galaxy. It’s moving at 38,400 mph but still won’t pass by our nearest star for roughly another 40,000 years. This in itself is an extraordinary fact, and begins to make us realize how tiny our little home really is.
Perhaps the most magnificent and inspirational realization to come out of the program is the remarkable “Pale Blue Dot”: In 1990 as Voyager 1 left our solar system, this photograph was taken from a distance of roughly 4 billion miles from Earth. At first glance, this picture looks uninteresting and boring, except for several streams of light (emitted from our own Sun) across the frame. But as you look closer, you’ll see a tiny, faint bluish dot almost directly in the middle of the brightest beam of light. It’s so small (less than a pixel) you might think it to be a photo error. But this is no glitch: That nearly invisible dot is actually Earth.
The first time I saw this photo, I stared at it for about an hour. For someone who tends to be easily distracted, this was astounding. There was nothing obviously interesting about the photo; no bright colors, no artistic elements… nothing. But in all that nothing was a huge something!
Earth is barely visible inside the beam of light, and no other stars can be seen sparkling. Our home is floating in an immense nothingness, totally vulnerable. Despite this, everything we know as human beings and all the accomplishments we’ve made as a race has happened and continues to happen here. Life is always moving, but from so far away there’s no trace of it, no evidence anything has ever happened. All events on this planet, good or bad, cannot begin to touch the rest of the Universe.
This is incredibly humbling. It makes you realize how important it is to do your part for the planet, to treat each other with love and respect, and always remember how special and miraculous our home (and everything on it) really is. Carl Sagan described the appearance of Earth in the ray of light as accidental. As much as I love Carl Sagan’s insights into the Universe, I disagree with his opinion.
Voyager 1 was programmed to shift position in order to take the photo. The Sun was just outside the field of view, which resulted in the distinct beams of light across the photo. I believe there is a divine reason our home appears to reside in the brightest of these beams, as though we’re to be reminded of something we cannot fully comprehend, keeping us protected from the darkness. Photos of Uranus, Neptune and several other planets were also taken and the results were similar, but curiously, no other has visible strands of light. Some might call it coincidence. I choose to believe in Faith.
Whenever I feel overwhelmed, confused or scared, I think about this photo, and the rest of the Universe around it which we cannot see. You’d think it would make me feel totally insignificant, but somehow it makes me feel stronger and gives my life more meaning. To me, this photo stands for what really matters: Something that is almost invisible means everything, holds so much joy and gives us what we need to live and thrive. Every particle, atom, and hair on your head is accounted for. So the next time you think nothing you do can make a difference, look at this photo. When evil acts and negativity seem to take over your life, look at this photo, and remember how pure, beautiful and untouched the Universe is. That’s something that cannot be taken away from you with human hands.
Almost twenty years later, “Pale Blue Dot” remains the most distant photograph of Earth. It was the last glimpse Voyager 1 ever got of its home. These spacecraft will never return to Earth, and who knows where they might travel? That’s another story…
Voyager 1 is currently outside our solar system and passing through the sheath that separates us from the rest of the galaxy. It’s moving at 38,400 mph but still won’t pass by our nearest star for roughly another 40,000 years. This in itself is an extraordinary fact, and begins to make us realize how tiny our little home really is.
Perhaps the most magnificent and inspirational realization to come out of the program is the remarkable “Pale Blue Dot”: In 1990 as Voyager 1 left our solar system, this photograph was taken from a distance of roughly 4 billion miles from Earth. At first glance, this picture looks uninteresting and boring, except for several streams of light (emitted from our own Sun) across the frame. But as you look closer, you’ll see a tiny, faint bluish dot almost directly in the middle of the brightest beam of light. It’s so small (less than a pixel) you might think it to be a photo error. But this is no glitch: That nearly invisible dot is actually Earth.
The first time I saw this photo, I stared at it for about an hour. For someone who tends to be easily distracted, this was astounding. There was nothing obviously interesting about the photo; no bright colors, no artistic elements… nothing. But in all that nothing was a huge something!
Earth is barely visible inside the beam of light, and no other stars can be seen sparkling. Our home is floating in an immense nothingness, totally vulnerable. Despite this, everything we know as human beings and all the accomplishments we’ve made as a race has happened and continues to happen here. Life is always moving, but from so far away there’s no trace of it, no evidence anything has ever happened. All events on this planet, good or bad, cannot begin to touch the rest of the Universe.
This is incredibly humbling. It makes you realize how important it is to do your part for the planet, to treat each other with love and respect, and always remember how special and miraculous our home (and everything on it) really is. Carl Sagan described the appearance of Earth in the ray of light as accidental. As much as I love Carl Sagan’s insights into the Universe, I disagree with his opinion.
Voyager 1 was programmed to shift position in order to take the photo. The Sun was just outside the field of view, which resulted in the distinct beams of light across the photo. I believe there is a divine reason our home appears to reside in the brightest of these beams, as though we’re to be reminded of something we cannot fully comprehend, keeping us protected from the darkness. Photos of Uranus, Neptune and several other planets were also taken and the results were similar, but curiously, no other has visible strands of light. Some might call it coincidence. I choose to believe in Faith.
Whenever I feel overwhelmed, confused or scared, I think about this photo, and the rest of the Universe around it which we cannot see. You’d think it would make me feel totally insignificant, but somehow it makes me feel stronger and gives my life more meaning. To me, this photo stands for what really matters: Something that is almost invisible means everything, holds so much joy and gives us what we need to live and thrive. Every particle, atom, and hair on your head is accounted for. So the next time you think nothing you do can make a difference, look at this photo. When evil acts and negativity seem to take over your life, look at this photo, and remember how pure, beautiful and untouched the Universe is. That’s something that cannot be taken away from you with human hands.
Almost twenty years later, “Pale Blue Dot” remains the most distant photograph of Earth. It was the last glimpse Voyager 1 ever got of its home. These spacecraft will never return to Earth, and who knows where they might travel? That’s another story…
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