Cailin has written a great description of what it’s like to look up (and around) at the awesome beauty of the Universe we live in:
These are the moments that fill me with the greatest pleasure and wonder, my appreciation for my own existence swells within me and I feel my eyes glaze with tears of joy and sorrow.
I once read a comment by someone made when viewing a beautiful sunset. They said, ‘How can anyone look at something so beautiful and think there is no god?’ I didn’t say anything, but I was thinking, ‘Why would I want to pollute something so wonderful with something so ugly?’
Via The Friendly Atheist.
Atheism
astronomy, Atheism, beauty, Science
I got up early this morning and headed into campus to view the lunar eclipse. Wow! It was as beautiful as ever. Before this year, I had never taken the time to view a lunar eclipse. However, this is the second one I’ve seen this year. Sure, I lost a few hours sleep, but man was it worth it.
This was a two-for-one morning, since the eclipse was right at sunrise. First I got to see the beautiful red-moon, and then watch it disappear as the sun rose in the opposite sky.
There has been a rumor going around, re-enforced by legitimate news sources reporting that Mars will be as big as the moon for a while. This is completely false, of course, but looking up at the moon this morning, I can see how the rumor could have gotten started. It took only the tiniest leap of the imagination to think of the moon as mars up close. Never-the-less, it was still imaginary.
So if you missed out this morning, too bad! Next time around, take my advice: Lose a couple hours of sleep and see something beautiful.
Science
astronomy, eclipse, sunrise
