A lot of scientific evidence points to the fact that planet Earth, and human beings, are an unusual coincidence in the universe, the product of an almost unrepeatable incredible series of positive causalities, a statement that may seem arrogant, but now that we know more about the cosmos, we are aware that this is a hyper violent place, where the majority of the planets are almost at the mercy of the voracity of galaxies, suns, dwarf stars, black holes, gamma rays, and from multiple astrophysical events such as the explosion of a massive star at the end of its life cycle (super nova).
However, being such an astonishingly special and exceptional singularity in the Orion Nebula, spiral of the Milky Way, on our wonderful planet we do not behave in correspondence with such a cosmic phenomenon, due to ignorance, or due to a certain self-destructive human nature, which is a gigantic and absurd contradiction, a stupidity of the increasing size of the universe. Not only are we destroying our paradise, but we are giving ourselves a bad life with wars, forced mass immigrations, genocides, drug trafficking, dictatorships, crime, famines, etc.
In the cosmos – contrary to the situation here – the Earth has had the very rare privilege of living in peace for almost all of its existence, despite the high frequency with which cataclysmic events occur (which impact with unprecedented violence many light years away).
around) in the universe, and particularly in the Milky Way, where numerous supernova explosions have occurred, such as the one that caused the Crab Nebula, about a thousand years ago.
The Milky Way has also absorbed several dwarf galaxies, and is scheduled to collide with the Andromeda galaxy in about 4.5 billion years. Another cataclysmic event is the formation of black holes, due to the collapse of massive stars or the merger of smaller black holes. The Milky Way is home to a supermassive black hole at its center, known as Sagittarius A*, which has a mass about 4 million times that of the Sun.
The Milky Way has also experienced gamma-ray bursts, which are among the most powerful in the universe, and can occur when a massive star collapses into a black hole, or during the merger of neutron stars. Although they are estimated to be thousands of light years away, if a gamma ray burst were to occur “close enough” it could have devastating effects on life on Earth.
The Earth has escaped all this brutal violence, thanks to its location in the Milky Way, since it is located far from the center, 27 thousand light years, between the center of the galaxy and its outer edge, a place that has been an exceptionally peaceful place for millions of years, allowing enough time for bacteria to emerge and life to develop. The only drawbacks have been the terrible impact at the beginning of our planet, which formed the Moon, and the asteroid that 66 million years ago collided in the Gulf of Mexico, and had planetary consequences, extinct the dinosaurs.
The constant occurrence of super destructive phenomena that destroy entire galaxies, planets and suns, that turn them into gigantic clouds of dust and gas thousands of light years long, or that remove them from their gravitational anchor and send them to wander through the cosmos, where they can impact with other celestial bodies, makes the supposedly logical thought that with so many stars in the universe, the Earth cannot be the only one with living beings, not feasible. Statistical calculations and the laws of probabilities fall to pieces.
The Milky Way alone is home to about 400 billion stars, and 500 billion planets. Given these colossal figures, the hypothesis strongly emerges that we cannot be alone. However, the number of potentially habitable stars is significantly reduced due to the destructive violence that prevails in the universe. Scientists have already established certain “peace zones” where life might be possible.
However, there are more dangers: the Earth is also too lucky because it is in a model planetary system, where all the spheres follow stable and predictable paths around the Sun. A balance between the gravitational force of the sun, and the inertia of the planets, creates a relatively invariable system. In the Milky Way, 70% of the stars are red dwarfs, a danger for the stars, however, there are no such threats in the Orion arm.
The distance between the planets and their respective stars is also fundamental, and the Earth is in a very convenient position with respect to the Sun, since it does not burn us, and rather we benefit from its heat, without which there would be no life; and it has a protective moon that helps stabilize the axis of rotation, allowing for a good climate. Our satellite’s gravity is responsible for tides in the oceans, which are important for many marine ecosystems, navigation and fishing.
The Moon was formed about 4.5 billion years ago, shortly after the formation of the solar system, after a giant collision with the Earth of a body the size of Mars. A large amount of material from the Earth’s crust and mantle was ejected into space, which, over time, came together and formed the satellite.
Furthermore, in our solar system there is the gas giant Jupiter, which is so large that it could house 1,300 planets like ours, and which functions as a bodyguard for the Earth, since for millions of years a large number of asteroids and comets attracted by its enormous gravity that, otherwise, could have collided with the Earth, have collided on its surface.
Neutron stars called pulsars are formed from the explosion of supernovae, and if a planet gets too close, it could be affected by its intense gravity and radiation, the same would happen with quasars, which contain black holes at their center. Additionally, galaxies and supernovae generate gravitational interactions and processes that can lead to the fusion or destruction of stars.
The universe is about 13.8 billion years old, the age of the Earth is 4.5 billion, and human beings originated about 300 thousand ago. If we consider the ancestors, hominids have been on this planet for 6 to 7 million years. So much time has passed, and it is still not evident that there are other forms of intelligent life, perhaps because the cosmos is of such unprecedented violence, on such an immense scale, that it escapes our imagination, that life can only be possible as an exception.
Tell me, please, if these are not enough reasons to take care of the Earth like a newborn child.
(With data taken from Google, from specialized sources).
