Post #1 - Why I Chose This Topic

Post Number One 

Why I Chose This Topic

     We live in an age where there is a wealth of information at our fingertips. Humans as a species have come a long way, and while there is so much knowledge we have acquired over a vast span of time, there are certain subjects we know a lot about and very little about at the same time. Three that come to mind quickly are the workings of the human brain, the ocean, and space. I suppose you could say these are the final frontiers. 

     I remember being in Lapeer, Michigan, with my astronomy class the weekend of April 8th, 2016. It was during this weekend I fell in love with astronomy. I had been able to see the bands of Jupiter, the Beehive star cluster, the Orion Nebula and more through a telescope without having to even leave my home state. I was awe-inspired at these sights. I felt so insignificant in comparison. It felt like all the hard work from the past semester had paid off. Even when my astronomy class had ended that semester, I felt compelled to pursue the subject more.

     For me, being able to actually see things like star clusters, planets, and stellar nurseries is more exciting than dissecting a brain, or diving into the ocean. But on some level astronomy is very similar, the universe is an ocean, and it is as confusing as our brains. For everything we know, or think we know, about space, we truly know very little. And the more we know, the more things pop up that we don't know. I don't think we could ever hope to learn everything there is to learn about the universe. I'm not sure I would want to. Part of what's so exciting about learning about space, is thinking of all the things we may never know. 

     I think a lot of it comes down to perspective as well. Like if I were standing on another planet in a different galaxy, I would see a different pattern of constellations, And if I were living on Earth thousands of years ago, I would believe the sun fell below the horizon at night because the sun god was tired from pulling the sun across the sky all day. Astronomy is so fascinating to be because of the perspective of it, and the perspective it gives me.

    Astronomy also encompasses all types of areas of study. History is just one example. Others include physics, mathematics, literature, chemistry, mythology, geology, philosophy and more. You can never learn everything about the universe, without knowing quite a bit about a multitude of other subjects. It has inspired life long learning for me, and it never becomes dull, because there is always something else to discover.

    Beyond just learning about space and astronomy and such, its also simply just fun. I enjoyed looking at the stars before I knew how to navigate the night sky. I like thinking about the sheer size of the universe without having to do a bunch of math. I love the terms like azimuth, zenith, sidereal, celestial, parsec, and penumbra- they are fun to say. And more than anything, I like not knowing what all is out there. The universe is a mystery, and I don't think we will every be able to solve it, but we can always learn more about it. 

Plus, who doesn't like to crack a joke about Uranus every now and then?