Ruimte Verkenning
Lewe in die Heelal
Die ontdekking van Kepler-186f toon aan dat daar Aard-agtige planete in bewoonbare sones is wat ver genoeg weg is van die planeet son om bewoonbaar vir mense te wees. Maar omdat Kepler-186f meer as 550 ligjaar weg, is dit te ver vir die huidige teleskope of die volgende generasie beplande teleskope om verdere besonderhede oor die planeet te bepaal (wat impliseer dat die prentjie hierbo slegs ‘n artistieke voorstelling is van hoe die planeet gelyk het 550 jaar gelede). Meer spesifieke inligting oor die bewoonbaarheid van die planeet moet nog gevind word en gebaseer op die huidige tegnologie, kan ons realisties nie enige deurbraak in die afsienbare toekoms verwag nie.
My kinderjare-belangstelling in Sterrekunde, Aardrykskunde en Geskiedenis het my meer gelowig gemaak. Ek glo in die bestaan van ‘n Godheid, en ook omdat dit wil voorkom of die heelal huidiglik buite die greep van enige intellektuele persoon op aarde lê, en dat God bedoel het dat die Heelal raaiselagtig sal bly vir mense op Aarde.
Terwyl ek my as kind verbaas het oor die ongelooflike waarnemings deur soveel wetenskaplikes van alle tye en die briljantheid van die menslike verstand, was ek ook verskrik oor hoe onbeduidend en kortstondig mense lewens in verhouding met die bestaan van die heelal is. Meer as ‘n miljoen keer groter as die planeet waarop ons woon, is die son in ons sonnestelsel slegs een van die 300 miljard in die Melkweg stelsel, wat slegs een van die miljarde sterrestelsels in die heelal is. Voorstanders van die multiversiteits teorie sê ook dat daar selfs verskeie heelalle kan wees.
Met soveel vrae — hoe die lewe op aarde begin het, hoe die menslike gees werk en wat die aard van tyd en bewussyn is — waarmee filosowe en wetenskaplikes al duisende jare worstel, is die heelal so inherent en ingewikkeld dat dit vir ewig die menslike begrip ontwyk. Miskien het God bedoel dat die heelal bestaan op ‘n manier wat nooit heeltemal deur mense verstaan en verwoord kan word nie.
Dit is ontsaglik om te dink dat daar ongelooflike perke by mense is, en die perke word duidelik in die navorsing en verkenning van die ruimte en die heelal.
Skrywer: M J M Frederik
Space Exploration.
Life in the Universe
The discovery of Kepler-186f shows that there are Earth-like planets in habitable zones that are far enough away from the planet sun to be habitable for humans. But because Kepler-186f is more than 550 light-years away, it is too far for current telescopes or next-generation planned telescopes to determine further details about the planet (implying that the picture above is only an artistic representation of how the planet equalled 550 years ago). More specific information about the habitability of the planet has yet to be found and based on current technology, we can really not expect any breakthrough in the foreseeable future.
My childhood interest in Astronomy, Geography and History made me more religious. I believe in the existence of a Deity, and also because it would appear that the universe is currently beyond the reach of any intelligent person on earth and that God intended the Universe to remain enigmatic to humans on Earth.
While I was amazed as a child at the incredible observations by so many scientists of all time and the brilliance of the human mind, I was also appalled at how insignificant and short-lived humans’ lives are about the existence of the universe. More than a million times larger than the planet we live on, the sun in our solar system is only one of the 300 billion in the Milky Way system, which is only one of the billions of galaxies in the universe. Proponents of the multiversity theory also say that there may even be multiple universes.
With so many questions — how life on earth began, how the human spirit works, and the nature of time and consciousness — that philosophers and scientists have struggled with for thousands of years, the universe is so inherent and complex that it forever embraces the human concept elude. Perhaps God meant that the universe exists in a way that can never be fully understood and articulated by humans.
It is awesome to think that there are incredible limits in humans, and the limits become clear in the research and exploration of space and the universe.
