I'm a science writer and editor. I work with clients in the observatory and planetarium community, as well as my own book, web, planetarium, and other projects.
Need a writer/editor? Visit my services page for my projects and availability.
Note: The ads you see below and at the bottom of this page are screened for content and many fine companies do appear here. Occasionally ads I don't want DO slip through, particularly for pseudo-science, st*r-naming, ID, and other questionable sites. Please understand that I cannot be held responsible for their content. Do visit them if you wish, but as with all advertising, be logical and use common sense.
You'd think we'd know all about our home planet. After all, we live on it. And, we do know quite a bit, just from walking its surface, sailing its oceans, and flying in its atmosphere. But, as any traveller knows, distance lends perspective. It gives us new insights into familiar places, simply by virtue of the fact that we are far away and can perceive home as a place "back there." You see a bigger picture of your hometown when you're far away from it. And, so it's the same with our planet.
Earth, as seen by the Galileo spacecraft on December 11, 1990.
I've been working on a project focused on our planet's climate and so I keep returning to these pictures taken from well away from Earth's surface. The first thing you notice is the water. And then, the clouds. Which, in our case, also speak of water, but in droplet form suspended in our atmosphere. Here and there the continents and islands peek out, and if you're close enough, you can see the lush green of plant life. It's home, but it's also part of the larger universe. The same laws of physics and astrophysics that operate across the cosmos govern our solar system and home planet. What we observe here we can try to find elsewhere. And if we do find watery, lifebearing planets elsewhere, we may understand them better simply by virtue of studying our own world from a distance, too. And, in a sense, what we find at THOSE worlds, will also help us understand our own.
Voyager's view of Earth from the "edge" of the solar system.
Earth is an amazing find in a universe populated mostly with galaxies studded with stars and nebulae. There are other planets out there, and most likely many with water and life. We haven't found the life-bearing ones yet, but it's only a matter of time. Until we do, that pale blue dot in the middle of the ray of light on the right is a rarity. It's also one of my choices for one of the seven wonders of the universe.
The sites below belong to space and astronomy enthusiasts. I make every effort to check them and make sure they are still appropriate. However, I am not responsible for their content, nor do I endorse any of it by simply linking to them. As with all Web surfing, please exercise caution.
Adot's Notblog A fellow traveler blogger and astronomy enthusiast!
Astronomy Blog An astronomy blog pondering the big questions
