THE ORIGIN OF UNIVERSE

Galaxy-M31-Andromeda

“We do not ask for what purpose the birds do sing, for song is their pleasure since they were created for singing. Similarly we ought not to ask why the human mind troubles to fathom the secrets of heaven. The diversity of phenomena of Nature is so great, and the treasures hidden in the heavens so rich, precisely to order that the human mind shall never be lacking in fresh nourishment.”…..Johannes Kepler Mysterium Cosmographcum

I entered my kitchen to bake…cake.. For this I needed the ingredients..Flour sugar eggs butter a pinch of this and a pinch of that.. and ofcourse the heat of the oven. The fluffy cake was made of small granules I observed. It consists of even small molecules the molecules are made of atoms I had read in chemistry. The elements present in our body except Hydrogen, the atoms eg carbon hydrogen oxygen etc are made in Star billions of years ago. Isn’t it exciting? Everything you me and the matter present in this world are made of atoms-molecules from the womb of the Stars…….
A Star is like a cosmic kitchen where atoms are cooked from hydrogen to helium to more heavier atoms. The Astrophysicists say that all the matter in the Universe – in people plants and animals in the planets and in the stars –galaxies were created 13 billion years ago. I remember Carl Sagan’s words “Something in us recognizes Cosmos as home. We are made of stellar ash. Our origin and evolution have been tied to distant cosmic event The exploration of Cosmos is a voyage of self- discovery.
With renewed fervor I started to study this Discovery ... The Origin of our Universe.

THE BIG BANG;-

It is approximated that about 10 to15 billion years ago there was a huge explosion in a tiny dense point, this created Time Space Matter and Energy. This titanic cosmic explosion was called The Big Bang by the Scientists. The Big Bang was like no other explosion you might witness on earth today. The Cosmologist believe that the Big Bang flung energy in all directions at the speed of light (300,000,000) meters per second, a hundred thousand times faster than the hydrogen bomb. The temperature was 1000 trillion degree Celsius at just a fraction of second after the explosion. Even the cores of the hottest star in today’s universe are much cooler.

The concept of the Big Bang grew out of steady accumulation of evidences gathered from both theoretical and observational research throughout the course of 20th century. Some of the considerations are as follows:

1)THE EXPANDING UNIVERSE:

100 Years ago Albert Einstein published three papers that rocked the world. One of his papers for equation for Relativity, indicated that the universe was expanding. Einsteins Theory inspired many scientists – Willem de Sitter in Holland and Alexendr Friedmann of Russia.
In 1929 the Astronomer Edwin Hubble showed that the furtherest galaxies were fleeing away from each other. By studying their electromagnetic spectrum the scientist can determine if an object is moving away from the earth or towards the earth. The spectrum of distant objects like quasars is shifted to Red. The light given off by them have longer wave length. While the spectrum of light from the objects coming towards earth have shorter wave length, and shifted towards violet.
In the winters of 1998 in Berkeley California, a team of scientist made similar startling discovery about the fast expanding Universe. -- The Supernovae-exploding stars visible over great distance s. “This has shaken Astronomy to its core” (Astronomy October 1999).


A DAY WITHOUT YESTERDAY

A Belgium Mathematian George Lemaitre and Catholic priest (1894-1966) had developed the theory of the Big Bang . Lemaitre came to be known as “Father of The Big Bang” described the beginning of Universe as a burst of fireworks comparing galaxies to the burning embers spreading from the centre of the burst. He believed that the burst of fireworks was the beginning of Time taking place on “a day without yesterday.”

Another theory which supported this Origin of Universe by detecting hot radiations in the Cosmos called CMB.

2)THE COSMIC MICROWAVE BACKGROUND RADIATION;-

In 1965 two young radio astronomers Arno Penzias and Robert Wilson almost accidentally discovered Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) Radiation using a small calibrated horn antenna. they couldn’t eliminate a bothersome source of noise . They picked up this noise everywhere they pointed the antenna. At first they thought it was bird droppings. The antenna was so sensitive that it could pick up the heat of bird droppings. But even after cleaning it off they picked up this noise. This noise was actually predicted years earlier by George Gamow a Russian-American Physicist as a relic of the evolution of the early universe. This background of microwave s was in fact the cooled remnants of the primeval fireball – an echo of Big Bang!

Although science may solve the problem of how the Universe began, it cannot answer why does the Universe exists at all!

My above article got published in the Hitavada on 28/11/2010
...............................................................................................................................................................................................................

Durgadevi

Shri Ganesh

Hubble Deep Field: The Most Imp. Image Ever Taken (Redux)

LIFE ON MARS!

Our Earth and Mars(right)

As I flip the pages of my diary I came across a quote: “The known is finite the unknown is infinite, intellectually we stand on the islet in the midst of an illimitable ocean of inexplicability. Our business in every generation is to reclaim a little more land!”
……………….T.S. Huxley 1887

I lay on my back in the open pondering gazing at the star studded heaven. Tiny sparkling lamps, who made them? What makes them shine? I could see a bright red star. It is called mangal tara I learnt. We call it Mars in English.

I was fascinated by Mars. I found out that it’s the fourth planet of our Solar System. I was amazed that we could see this beautiful planet with our naked eye. Soon I focused my telescope towards the sky.
Mars is named after the Roman God of War. The reddish appearance is due to the ironoxide present in its soil. Mars atmosphere is thin, comprising mostly of carbon dioxide some molecules of nitrogen argon and very small quantity of water vapour. The ozone layer is very small causing the infiltration of ultraviolet radiation. Because Mars is farther from Sun than the Earth its temperature is considerably
lower. Of all the planets of our solar system Mars seasons are most Earth like due to the similar tilts of the two planets rotational axis.
Mars has two moons 1)Phobos 2) Diemos
The National Aeronautics and Space Agency (NASA) are probing Mars for any possibility of Life. They have sent reconnanissance satellite in the orbit . The spirit rover and opportunity are sending information. Mars is thoroughly mapped.

The landing on moon in 1969 has opened a new era for the humans. The renowned astronomer Carl Sagan says that, “If we survive , our time will be famous for two things1) at this dangerous moment of technological adolescence we managed to survive self destruction and because this is the epoch in which we began our journey to Stars!”

Talking about Mars it should be mentioned about two great scientist 1) Percival Lowell 2) Wolf Vishnaic.

A Bostonian Scientist Percival Lowell had life long love for Mars. He was obsessed by the thought that life did exist on Mars. Before his death in 1916 he had made a remarkable contribution towards Mars also to the knowledge of expanding universe and he discovered planet Pluto. The first initials PL are from his name Percival Lowell.

Vishnaic an extraordinary microbiologist from the University of Rochester in New York. Vishnaic spent 12 years in making devise (called wolf trap) to be sent to Mars in search for microorganism. He created Mars like enviorment on Earth in the dry vally of Antartica. He had succeded in generating microorganism. On Nov.8, 1973 he reached Antartica with one of his friend a geologist. A month later they were to collect the samples of their experiments. On Dec 10, 1973 he (Vishnaic ) met with an accident. His body was recovered at the base of a cliff. Many of Vishnaics microbiological stations are still sitting in Antartica.

Another great Cosmologist and Mathematician Stephan Hawking says, We shall be able to generate life on Mars in the coming years. We shall have to create oxygen water in liquid form and gravity there.
This general concept is called Terra forming, the changes of alien landscape into one more suitable for Human Beings.!

My above article got published in Hitavada dt.5/9/2010

///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

तुकाराम गाथा

जन विजन झाले आम्हां । विठ्ठलनामाप्रमाणें।१।

पाहे तिकडे मायबाप । विठ्ठल आहे रखुमाई ।२।

वन पट्टण एक भाव । अवघा ठाव सरता झाला ।३।

आठव नाही सुखदुःखा । नाचे तुका कौतुकें ।४।

दिवाकर अनंत घैसास म्हणतात:
थोड्या शब्दात महान अर्थ सांगणे हे तुकारामांच्या अभंगरचनेचे लक्षणच आहे. या लहानशा अभंगात फार उच्च मनोवस्थेचे वर्णन ते साध्या शुब्दात सांगत आहेत ....ज्याची भक्ती अंतरंगातील आत्मरूप परमेश्वरावर जडते त्याला विशिष्ट जागी बसून साधना करावी लागत नाही. योगसाधनेच्या प्रारंभी मात्र एकांतात, शुद्ध जागी, व अति उंच, न अति खोल अशा आसना वर, निवांत पणे बसावे, भोवती वर्दळ नको, घाण नको, ठराविक वेळी द्यानाला बसावे असे नियम घातलेले असतात .गीतेतही अद्यायात याचा उपदेश केलेला आहे . पण त्याची आवश्यकता मन बाहेरच्या विषयांकडून आंत वळण्यासाठी आहे.
एकदा अंतरी गोडी लागली व विठ्ठलनामाच्या नादस्पंदनात जीवभावाचे द्वैत विरघळून जाऊ लागले कि मग अरण्य काय किंवा भर शहर वस्ती काय , सकाळ काय नि दुपार , रात्र , सायंकाळ काय , भक्ताला जेथे तो असेल तेथेच सहजगत्या विठ्ठल रखुमाई हे पुरुश्प्रकृतीरूप अद्वैतच अनुभवास येत असते . मग सर्व ठाव स्थानाचे वेगळेपण व मीपणाचे वेगळेपण ही सरते होते, ओसरते. त्याचे अस्तित्वच उरत नाही . तो भक्त म्हणजे हरीची गोडीचं मूर्तिमंत झाली असा लोकानां प्रत्यय येतो . विठ्ठल नामाच्या तराजूत मग जनसंमदॅ अथवा अरण्य , वन किंवा नगर यांचे वजन सारखेच होते. हवे - नकोच ओसरते . अशा वेळी सुख म्हणजे नेमके काय आणि दुख म्हणजे काय याची आठवण सुद्धा रहात नाही . मग भक्त सुखदुख पलीकडच्या असीम आनंदात मोठ्या कौतुकाने नाचत असतो . तो साक्षात आनंदच होऊन राहातो .

.

Prelude & Nostalgia composed by Yanni

WHO SPEAKS FOR EARTH?

As I flip the pages of my diary I come across the quotation of Saint Gnyaneshwar “Hey Vishwachi mazhe ghar.” “The universe is my abode.”

Another quote of a famous scientist an American astronomer ,an astrophysicist,an astrochemist.. Carl Edward Sagan… “ Something in us recognizes the Cosmos as home. We are made of stellar ash. Our origin and evolution have been tied to distant cosmic events. The exploration of cosmos is a voyage of self-discovery.”
The saints quest of the universe is within the body while the the quest of the scientist is outside . The paths to achieve the goal are different. The above quotation of Carl Sagan is from his book Cosmos,
which attracted my attention. I hurriedly devoured the chapter, “who speaks for earth?” Lets see what they(these modern Rishis) have to say about Universe and our planet earth.

The earth when viewed from space looks a fragile blue crescent fading to become an inconspicuous point of light against the bastion and citadel of the stars.

There are worlds on which life has never risen. There are worlds that have been charred and ruined by cosmic catastrophes. We are fortunate, our Earth seems to be the only abode for life!
Suppose, in this universe of billions and billions of stars the solar system may have planets like earth & with proper chemistry – life may be possible there but how lonely and incomprehensible. The galaxies of stars encompasses and swallows them up like an atom so vastly greater is it in comparison. And yet this frail and fragile atom of life as Pascal said, “the entire universe need not arm itself to crush is able to comprehend the blind and uncomprehending hostility of the universe that around that knows not what it is doing. This awesome hostility of the universe may frighten it but even a frightened being conscious of its own peril is greater than the entire caravan of bright blind galaxies of stars that unaware of its own majesty and magnificence hurry along the intergalactic wastes without knowing why they hurry whence and whither they hurry and cannot even ask for….”

Another and another cup to drown
The Memory of this Impertinence! With the recent Technological development we are able to view these caravan of bright blind galaxies. The Hubble Telescope(NASA) is sending photographs and information which we cannot imagine . SETI (Search for Extra Terrestrial Intelligence) formulated by Carl Sagan have contributed to a large share in recent Discovery.

Due to the global nuclear Arms race our earth is in real danger. Our human race has become an endangered species. With the accumulation of arms, the more and high sophisticated armaments the powerful is the Nation is the concept of the leaders. . We know who speaks for the nations. Bur who speaks for the human species . Who speaks for the Earth?
Another British scientist James Lovelock is concerned about the threat of global warming from the greenhouse effect. The damage has already been done no amount of tree plantation or curbing the greenhouse gases will save our earth.
The only solution is the use of Nuclear Power. He pronounced, that only nuclear power can now halt global warming!

To save the Earth, global awareness is required. Each one of us have to contribute in whatever small manner we can for eg, saving energy ,saving petrol,saving money, tree plantation rearing animals living simple life. No extravaganza or wastage. No leadership is required for this .Each individual is a leader of this movement. The welfare of our civilization and our species is in our own hands. If we do not speak for earth who will? If we are not committed for our survival who will be?

My above article was published in The Hitavada dt.27/5/2010
Prajakta Dighe

http://youtu.be/VUZjuYpjqA8?a

http://youtu.be/VUZjuYpjqA8?a

christian the lion