The Big Yellow One Is The Sun!

[Amaris]

And I get paid far less for it.

Genius never pays well enough.

Years ago I was in Hawaii on the top of Mauna Loa, where the big observatorys are, there's this small side mountain that's the actual highest point on Hawaii. It was night and cold and I was feeling a little altitude sickness. But I was looking up at the stars and seeing the milky way with unbelieveable clarity, I thought I'm standing on the tallest part of this island and the island is itself on top of a enormous undersea mountain sticking up out of the floor of the ocean. And suddenly I felt thrust up towards space, surrounded by the stars, not just looking up at them.

I mention I was short of air right?

Makes you feel tiny, but it does feel good. I've always wanted to do what you mentioned in your post, I've never even been to an observatory. I have my little telescope and a backyard, but with the way people are anymore, I'd have the police on me in 5 minutes.

J.

 

[Flying Spaghetti Monster]

I've had thoughts like this before. They could dwell on the simplicity of our source of light being a star - a real star (yes it is profound) or they could be on just how amazing it is that we people can breathe regularly, in and out, and this keeps us alive.

I just want to say something slightly off topic, if you are a person that does not like the film 2001 A Space Odyssey, I recommend watching it after reading a thread like this, or having thoughts about any of these things, or watching it when you are in a generally pensive, ponderous mood... because it's not a film about its characters or even its narrative, but it's about just how small we are in the scope of the universe., so it is important to be in the right frame of mind when watching it.

 

[Amaris]

^ Yeah, for me if I want to watch 2001, I have to be in the right mindset. I can't just pop it in and sit down to watch, I have to be on that same train of thought, and right now would be a great time to watch it.

J.

 

[Temis the Vorta]

Once in a while I think about all the weird stuff inside my body like lungs and intestines and the fact that there are bacteria digesting my food in my stomach, and it weirds me out for a sec.

Speaking of night sky views, try to find a place that is as far from a city as possible, as dry a climate as possible and as cold a time of year as possible - my best view ever was in the middle of Nevada in the winter. Hard to beat that for clarity. Maybe in the Sahara.

 

[tharpdevenport]

And I get paid far less for it.

Genius never pays well enough.

J.

Hence the quote, "Genius is its own reward".

And since genius doesn't just go away, it's the gift that keeps on giving. And since it's a gift you keep giving yourself over & over again, it makes you a selfish, self-centered little bastard. Logically, Albert Einstein was a bastard. ;-)

All those members of M.E.N.S.A.? High-horse ridin' S.O.B.'s.

 

[Kemaiku]

I miss simple stargazing, haven't taken the time to do it for a couple of years now. I'm a second generation sci-fi fan so growing up with images of space and the night sky, getting astronomy books from my sister meant I was always studying the stars.

I still remember seeing my first shooting star and watching the ISS pass overhead as a bright point of light a few years back.

 

[CaptainStoner]

My God. It's full of stars...

I get into these states fairly often, moreso lately. Though I believe consciousness exists beyond the physical, in a plane outside of linear time, still there is nothing like now. Savor the now.

I like to consider thoughts like: where is the separation between, for instance, J.Allen, and the Sun? The energy of that Star is in turn the energy that is J.Allen, and of all the Universe. There are many forms and transformations of energy, and yet, there is One, and it comprises all things great and small, and there is no point of separation that can be discerned. There are not these myriad things, it is merely the mind that labels them so.

 

[Sakrysta]

Also, the sky is blue.

That's what I said!

 

[Agony_Boothb]

I often think like this and more often than not start wondering more about the future, particularly what earth will be like once mankind becomes extinct. I find it sad in a way that we will never be around to see the earth recover from our mistakes and get itself back into balance.

Hopefully the guys who did walking with dinosaurs will decide to head into the future for their next series. The future is wild didn't really cut it as a series.

 

[Mr Awe]

Things that you know and take for granted, but then once you let it "sink in", it's pretty amazing!
J.

I know and take for granted how small we are in the universe. But, when I really think about the size of the universe. Really try to comprehend it but fail, it's awe inspiring. I think they estimate 50 billion galaxies, each with several hundred billion stars. Yeah, we're small in the galaxy, but we're dang miniscule!

Mr Awe

 

[Mr Awe]

Once I was down in South America, probably a hundred miles from the nearest electric light. No electricity whatsoever. On a very clear night with no moon, no clouds, etc, I saw more stars than I ever had before. And I live in the country. It was amazing. Saw the Milky Way of course. But in far more detail than ever. It's got lots of shading to it. Even the dimmer parts were bright.

Mr Awe

 

[trampledamage]

I love seeing the ISS pass over-head, I stop and think "there are people up there". That is so cool.

 

[Holdfast]

I love seeing the ISS pass over-head, I stop and think "there are people up there". That is so cool.

And they're looking down, watching YOU....

 

[trampledamage]

I love seeing the ISS pass over-head, I stop and think "there are people up there". That is so cool.

And they're looking down, watching YOU....

My daughter always waves, just in case.

 

[Mr Awe]

I love seeing the ISS pass over-head, I stop and think "there are people up there". That is so cool.

While at first glance it seems like they're way up there, I once realized that they were closer to me in miles (which ranges between 173-286) than any member of my family! They're not really that far away, you can drive that distance in 3 to 4 hours.

LEO doesn't impress me any more. Sticking to LEO is thinking small scale.

Mr Awe

 

[trampledamage]

I love seeing the ISS pass over-head, I stop and think "there are people up there". That is so cool.

While at first glance it seems like they're way up there, I once realized that they were closer to me in miles (which ranges between 173-286) than any member of my family! They're not really that far away, you can drive that distance in 3 to 4 hours.

LEO doesn't impress me any more. Sticking to LEO is thinking small scale.

Mr Awe

Yes, but they're up! You can't drive "up" yet!

 

[Brandonv]

Has anyone ever had such thoughts? Not just about the Sun, but about anything. Things that you know and take for granted, but then once you let it "sink in", it's pretty amazing!

J.

I know exactly what you are talking about. Sometimes even just looking at the Moon, I will think something like, "Wow, that is a whole other world up there, and so close I can see it."

 

[melancholymecha]

imagine how freaky it would be if we could still remember stuff from before we were born.

 

[Jadzia]

^ some people claim they do, but with only vaguest of details.

My earliest memory was from something like age 1-2 months old, as it involved visitors, and I remember them interacting with me. When I was older, I was told roughly when those visitors came, so I had a date for that memory.

From around 6 months old I have several memories. And some time around 6-7th months I had my first big discovery.

 

[RJDiogenes]

The earliest memory I can dredge up is probably from about one year old, since I'm sort of struggling to walk. It's a memory of my Grandfather, who died when I was two-- I'm trying to walk down the hallway to him as he encourages me.