Have you ever thought about space? I mean not this abstract notion that is used when people speak about planets, stars, and the Universe, but try to imagine it and make it less abstract? To understand these giant distances, empty and cold, but, at the same time, full of planets, stars, and unknown things? Myriads of words that are not available for us, innumerable places that cannot be achieved but exist somewhere in space and have their unique secrets? Is it even possible to imagine something eternal, primal, and endless? These questions amaze and puzzle, they deprive you of sleep and inspire you at the same time. For me, space is not just a term, but it is one of the greatest mysteries of our world that can hardly be discovered and cognized by us, but that is why it remains so attractive.
Thinking about space means thinking about the mystery. At least, it works for me as lying in bed and looking in the window, I start cogitating about distant stars with their own worlds. I have heard the idea that many of the sparks we can see in the sky at night do not exist anymore, but space is so giant that light from them continues its travel, and that is why we can still see it. I do not know whether it is true or not; however, I often think about the path light has to travel to achieve solar system and meet with our eyes. It means that we are surrounded by millions of worlds that remain unknown to us, and all we can see is a small light in the sky when it is dark. It is a great mystery of space. It can be full of life and other creatures, but we can never get to know about it because of its size and inability to leave our own system and travel to other galaxies.
We are bound to our star. Sun is the center of our life, its source, and its master. The Earth, Mars, Jupiter, and other planets of our system move around the big gaseous sphere that flares and generates heat sufficient enough to give life. Abstracting away, it might seem absurd and ridiculous, but it is one of the main laws of the Universe as stars are centers of their systems, and their death means the collapse of all other planets surrounding it. It means that our existence will end with the death of the Sun, which sounds symbolic as our appearance was also preconditioned by it. This giant master of our system seems eternal, but scientists are sure that its time will come one day, and it will enter a new phase resulting in the destruction of life and radical changes in the structure of our system. It will happen in several milliards years, and the numbers impress. For me, it means eternity, but for space, it is just one small event peculiar to its existence.
Of course, we have some achievements in discovering the Universe. We send people and satellites in space, we use telescopes and other machines to cognize it, and we even landed on the Moon, which is definitely one of the greatest successes demonstrating the power of human thought and science. Since ancient times, Moon has been attracting the attention of human beings because of its significant role in the life of the Earth and its close position. No wonder that it was chosen for the first attempt to move to other planets. I often think about astronauts’ feelings when they made their first steps on the Moon. Were they scared? Were they happy? What did they feel? I am sure that they saw the Earth and had some special emotions about it. They made the first step towards discovering space, and for humanity, it was a giant success. At the same time, I think that regarding space and its size, it is a tiny and insignificant achievement that does not make us closer to the final goal.
We now plan to fly to Mars. I am sure it is a great plan that will provide us with new experiences and information about the solar system, the new planet, its landscape, atmosphere, and other details. We can even find some pieces of evidence showing that Mars once had water, which is often taken as the basic condition for the appearance and development of life. I often dream that I am one of the people who included in the team that would first step on a new planet. How would it look? What will I feel? I do not know, but thinking about space, the visions of distant worlds and planets are inevitable, and they come to my mind.
At the same time, I feel some sadness when thinking about space. I am astonished by the pressure of giant and enormous spaces that cannot be even imagined. Our Sun is a big star, but it is small if compare with other ones in the Universe. Scientists say that there are myriads of galaxies, and the number of planets cannot be counted. Moreover, the Universe continues to expand, which means that new worlds appear, but they are so far that no one can even imagine that they exist. Under these conditions, distance becomes our main enemy in cognizing space and discovering it. Looking in the sky at night, I might feel lonely, even surrounded by several milliards of people living on the Earth. We are trapped on this planet, which can be taken as a tiny island of solitude, so insignificant for space, that it might even disregard it.
I am sure that we will never be able to travel to distant areas of space, into that world of darkness, cold, and mystery. In the areas that are so far that people cannot imagine that such spaces exist. We know nothing about them as even the most innovative technologies do not provide investigators with an opportunity to explore such places and realize if the physics that is normal for us functions there. Space is endless and incognizable, and these two features are scary and inspire people at the same time.
It is not a surprise that space motifs are often used in horror movies. Aliens, doors to other worlds, black holes, and new horizons might pose a threat to human beings as no one knows what they hide. Uncertainty always scares people as they do not know what to expect and how to react. Considering the giant spaces peculiar to our Universe, there is a comparatively high chance that hostile aliens from the known movie really exist and wait for their time to make contact with us. For this reason, space also remains scary for people. We are not sure alone in the Universe as the existence of millions of other planets presupposes the appearance of life on them; however, what if it would be better for us to be alone? Or, at least, safer.
However, regardless of all fears and depressing distances, space is one of the most inspiring things in the world. It has always been a source of creativity for artists, architects, painters, poets, and scientists. Looking at far stars, people thought about some eternal aspects and worlds that lie beyond their cognition. I feel strange emotions when thinking about it. Anxiety, frustration, and misery are combined with joy, desire for discoveries, and the wish for knowledge. These feelings inspire and make you believe that regardless of all rational explanations and logic, one day, we will leave our system and move to new stars.
Altogether, as it is said in the iconic phrase from Star Trek, space is the final frontier as it separates us from places where no one has gone before. The giant distances hide billions of stars and worlds around them. It scares and inspires at the same time. Thinking about space, I cannot stop admiring its unique and incognizable nature. Even accepting the fact that humanity will hardly be able to move to other galaxies, it still attracts our thoughts and attention as uncertainty is scary, but, at the same time, it promotes curiosity and stimulates discoveries, which is vital for the emergence of attempts to move forward and beyond.