Last update: 28 March 2013
Secrets of the Universe
What am I trying to do here?
Slightly ambitious but the intent is to unravel the secrets of the universe: how it started, where it's going, what's the point, etc. Should get me invited to lots of Hollywood parties. We're going to start with near objects - sun, moon, earth and planets - and how they move and how that leads to explanations of everyday things like sunrise, tides, seasons and eclipses. Once we know what's happening close by, we'll move out into the Milky Way and on to other galaxies and the whole universe, work out the origin of the universe, how it works, its ultimate fate, discover the true meaning of time and reality, etc. There'll be a few diversions.
The key objectives in this narrative are:
- Clarity of explanation. Someone's already done most the work (apart from working out the ultimate secrets) - it's just a question of explaining it. Like writing flatpack furniture instructions it's possible to explain things: 1. succintly and clearly; 2. pretty well but with a couple of holes or ambiguities which completley invalidate your understanding / ability to put the thing up; 3. terribly. We're going for the first option .
- How do we know? Or, more accurately, why do we think this is true or likely true or possibly true? For example: the sun is supposedly an average 93 million miles away but no one's got the tape measure out; why do we think that dot in the sky is a galaxy of billions of stars and not a smudge on the window; how do we know the Earth is rotating and not only that but slowing down. In a universe most of which we can't see and against timelines of billions of years, we could be very wrong in some things. We have more confidence in the evidence for some things (like the distance to the sun) than others (a big bang kick-started the universe 13.7 billion years ago). The key point is to provide the basis on which we make assertions or theories or guesses.
- Jokes
A Few 'Facts' to Whet the Appetite
What we see in the Sky: The Stars
What we see in the Sky: The Sun
What we see in the Sky: The Moon
What we see in the Sky: The Planets
What we see in the Sky: The Atmosphere