Feel the sun’s heat on your upturned face
during a cloudless summer’s day,
And recognize its self-luminous power
from 150 million kilometers away.
In the scheme of the universe, the sun is
an ordinary and even mediocre star.
We can only imagine what it feels like
immersed in the heart of its nuclear fire.
Our ancestors worshipped the sun and
understood it to be life-giving.
It makes sense to revere the sun and stars
because we are their offspring.
When a star blows up thousands and
thousands of light years away,
It produces cosmic rays that spiral outward
and through the Milky Way.
Millions of years later, quite by accident,
some protons strike our earth.
The evolution of life is thus driven,
through mutation, by a star’s death.
February 27, 2025
A tribute to the American astronomer, planetary scientist, science communicator, and writer Carl Sagan (November 9, 1934–December 20, 1996). Sagan popularized complex scientific concepts and inspired young people to pursue science as a profession or in every day life.
MULTIMEDIAMAN 