From the Earth, to the Sun and out towards the great interstellar unknown every object has it’s story. All these things making up the universe, our solar system and life on Earth is as much a part of this great infinite clockwork. In fact the word Cosmos means the universe as a complex, ordered entity, delicately tied together with forces and matter. We are the great paradox, the universe looking upon itself and learning, maybe giving it meaning. Epic and almost unimaginable events have unfolded to make the Cosmos as we see it now, stories have unravelled before there was even a human around to tell the story. Long after the human race is gone the great cosmic story will keep unfolding until time is meaningless. Slowly we pick up the events piece by piece and these Stories of the Cosmos tell some of what currently know and understand.
The Living System
We exist in a system of unique and diverse worlds, where the actions and motions of one world effects the other. We are linked together with each of them with the forces of the universe that have worked for billions of years to shape and form not just Earth but the Sun all the worlds of the solar system into what we see today.
From what we know about how our solar system it was forged by the hammer of gravity, assembled atom by atom, particle by particle it was built up. Then as the planets moved about and found their places material in comets and asteroids pulled in by these moving giants we flung inwards, smashing the surfaces of the planets and their moons where even today after millions of years their marks remain.
This bombardment did not bring death, instead it brought materials to these worlds materials they would otherwise would not have seen. Water is one of these materials and of course without water on Earth There would be no life.
The Connected System
Through the aeons the solar system matured, became calmer and more stable. In our short human lifetimes we do not see the subtle changes that occur within our living system. The moon moves ever further away from our Earth, ice ages come and go, and still the planets follow their paths, so predicable now that we are able to send machines to visit them with an unbelievable accuracy.
Our local cosmic backyard is now a place of familiarity, but this is not to say that there are no surprises, comets, asteroids and other debris we cannot otherwise detect still surprise us and we marvel over these distant visitors. Coming from far out in darkness on the outer edges of the solar system these interlopers into our realm show just how delicate the balance we live is.
In the outer realms of the solar system the Sun is so distant that it’s influence on these objects is minute, outer planets like Neptune govern these realms but even this cannot control everything and timing is key. The pull of a star as our system passes through the galaxy, the path of the object that happens to time itself to it’s passing near Saturn are just some of the possibilities and it’s pulled in.
The Balance
This balance is something that we on Earth enjoy, we take for granted the Sun rising, the timing of the seasons, days, years months they seem unchangeable. The clockwork running of our system is something that we have absolutely no control over and yet it’s enabled warm skies, running water and enabled life to flourish here. The importance of the gravitational relationship the Earth has with Venus, Mars and Jupiter and all the planets cannot be overstated. If one of these worlds were to be suddenly moved or removed then chaos would surely reign and Earth would likely either boil or freeze.
This line of thought leads one to think that the concept of a supreme force that governs the entire universe is maybe not so insane and could well be responsible for the life we live, it is either that or the kind of blind luck that could only be possible a small number of times – even in a universe as vast as this.
© Simon Farnell 2013 – 2023
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Simon's Space 
A very eloquence and embracing synopsis of the Solar System Simon. Every body within the system has some influence on the others.
There is so much out there for us to explore and understand. I reckon five hundred years and we might have finished skimming the surface.
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I think the more we find the more we’ll find we don’t know. It will be humbling.
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As Asimov said The most exciting phrase to hear in science, the one that heralds new discoveries, is not “Eureka” but “That’s funny…”
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Yes exactly… something has not gone as planned and there’s an opportunity to learn something.
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Listening to a radio programme, the comment came across the airwaves from one scientist (by chance on cosmology) ‘Well you don’t want to be right all the time. That would be boring,’
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That’s so very true, where would be the fun in that?
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Yep!
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It’s kind of mind blowing to contemplate what a vast universe we live in and all of the other dimensions that exist.
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That’s it – it’s mind blowing.
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