We all have time for only a fleeting apprehension of Our Universe.
Living for
a finite time within our human bodies, we all perceive our surrounding Universe
differently. Rene Descartes famously declared he could trust nothing more than
the fact that he was a thinking, observing being. The very basis of
experiencing life is our ability to
observe.
We face
several challenges in expanding our experience - two of these are: 1.) the
physical distance from new experiences, and 2.) the every day hubbub of our
immediate lives which carries us away from the reality of our inner selves.
On
occasion, we lose sight of the majesty of this exercise called Life that we are
caught up in. Adult concerns create a whirl of dollar signs, protest signs and
zodiac signs. How often do we get a chance to take a deep breath and get back
to a state of childlike wonder about 'What It All Means'
The act of
observing Our Universe is probably the most satisfying of all human pastimes.
Our inherent curiosity about our surroundings links us to our environment and nourishes our spirit. But how can
we possibly reach a genuinely new experience every day?
For those
of us who are lucky enough to have exploration-related occupations, we get to
experience firsthand the wild and surprising beauty of our existential
surroundings on a daily basis.
For the
less lucky, the occasional glance at an Deep-Field Image from the
Hubble Space Telescope, looking at a stunning alien panorama on the
internet from one of the Mars Rovers, or watching a TV broadcast of a
spacecraft launch - a human built, metal missile freeing itself from the surly
bonds of the Earth, these images inspire a feeling of childhood wonder that
lasts for a fleeting second. And then usually we are returned to the mundane
with a crashing thud as everyday life reclaims our thoughts. The moment is
promptly forgotten, until - if we are lucky - it reappears to us in our dreams.
The
internet brings us new ways of experiencing the wonder and majesty of our
sometimes spawned, but always immersive universe. The chance to virtually
voyage into outer space, to other planets beyond our precious Earth, is
available, if one knows where to look.
The SETI Institute
regularly invites Explorers of the Universe to a weekly lecture held in
Mountain View in northern California. Each talk is delivered by leading
scientists and engineers in their field of expertise, and each topic is easily
introduced for the uninitiated.
The talks
are held in the middle of the week
(Wednesday), in the middle of the day (12 noon). These talks are open to the
public, and people lucky enough to reside in the San Francisco Bay Area are
welcome to attend.
For those
outside the SF Bay Area, the SETI Institute makes available a video of each
talk (almost 60 videos are now available). Topics covered include the Search
For Extraterrestrial Intelligence, human spaceflight, the exploration of Mars,
the exploration of the Moon and primitive bodies like asteroids and comets, the
exploration of the outer planets and their icy satellites, the interstellar
medium and protoplanetary disks, extrasolar planets and their parent stars, the
formation of Our Universe and, of course, exploration of extreme environments
and climate change here on Earth. Each talk is designed to burst open the
doorways to new perspectives on Our Universe.
Join us and
unleash your inner child - explore the Universe with us. And let a friend know
how you're watching and observing Our Shared Universe.
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