essay / introspection The Night Sky is Earth’s Patented Trademark

By

Kevin 7715

W.

I scan the vast expanse of sky above my head and the beauty of nature hits me full force. Thousands of stars twinkle in the black background. I start recognizing the patterns from astronomy: the North Star, Orion the hunter,… I’m standing in the balcony of my homestay in a Sanbor, a rural village of Cambodia. Sanbor is a vast expanse of nature untouched by the grimy hands of industry. Every time I see the night sky, I relate back to the perfect night sky I saw in the village. I dream of the giant void of “nothingness” in space beyond Earth’s atmosphere and the many different possibilities in the future. The night sky is a dark canvas, and depending on the location one stands in, a certain number of bright specks can be seen sparkling. For me, this beautiful work of art shows how insignificant humans are compared to the enormous size of our galaxy, the Milky Way, which is part of a universe, which is part of many universes. The Earth is to the rest of space as a bread crumb would to the Earth. This comparison represents the limitation of humans, who have tried to harness nature. Yet humans do not consider the effects they have on their environments. The Earth we inhabit is the embodiment of Goldilocks conditions. Only Earth has the necessary atmosphere and environment, not too cold, not too hot. To the extent of current scientific research, Earth is the only planet that harbors life. The night sky reminds me that we need to treasure the environment we live in since there is no other known life-friendly planet such as Earth. The night sky has come to stand for much more in my view. The night sky shows that humans should limit themselves and proceed with caution in interactions with the environment. However, the night sky has also come to symbolize the endless possibilities in the future. The stars at night are never constant, constantly varying their location as the Earth rotates around its axis and revolves around the sun. The view of the night skies also change. In some places, such as industrialized cities, only the brightest extraterrestrial lights are shown due to the light pollution that hides the more subtle stars. In less industrialized areas, the sky is alive and fully lit with the multitude of stars showing their lights. One can change the future like one can change their view of the stars. One can predict the future of the night sky by measuring and observing the patterns of stars as one can influence the future by the present actions. The night sky is an ever-changing background. There is no definite night sky, just as there is no definite future. The night sky serves to remind humans of their limitations. There is only one planet that can sustain life in the universe. The night sky is the Earth’s patented trademark.

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