The Moon

[Matt]

So I was watching the Discovery Channels series called "The Universe"--the special was on The Moon in particular.

Now, I understand The Moon is pretty darn important to Earth. Basically we would not be here without it. The accepted origin of the moon is the "super impact" theory. Where as another planet developed next to the Earth and at some point smashed into it.

What blasted off created the moon.

So here is my question. Outside of religion, is there a chance that we are truly unique in the universe because of this event? I mean, how often could that have happened? Without the moon, our oceans would not move ergo the planet would be dead.

[Ikilledthecrimsonking]

i think that earth was just a planet that was in the right
place at the right time and the moon thing just kinda happend

[Matt]

That's exactly what I mean--is it possible that the moon thing did not occur anywhere else and if that is the case, possibly the human race is unique.

**rethinks the possibility of aliens** :ninja:

[Letti]

It's possible. Not likely but if the universe is infinite... you know: when you sit down infinite-numbered monkeys to computers one of them must type the Bible word by word. Because we have infinte numbered monkeys...

But for my part I don't care about aliens somehow, sorry. :D

[Matt]

I was just trying to get a new discussion going. It was interesting to me.

[Erin]

I don't think we are truly unique. The universe is so incredibly enormous and vast beyond us even imagining, I can say i'm almost positive that something similar has occured somewhere else in this universe before. I also completely belive in the existance of life in other reaches of the universe (maybe not in the "little green men" sense of life we see in the movies, but I don't see how we could be the only form of life in the entire universe.

[Letti]

I was just trying to get a new discussion going. It was interesting to me.

The topic is interesting to me too but I wouldn't like to meet or contact with aliens.
If there are aliens out there would you like to meet them?

[Daghain]

I'm with Erin on this one. I think we were just a random result of the big bang, and there's nothing to say it didn't happen somewhere else as well. We just haven't discovered it yet. :D

[Matt]

Oh yeah, life totally.

I just meant unique in the way that we are bipeds and the like.

I have no idea but it also speaks to the titanic forces that had to be just so for us to be here.

[Letti]

I'm with Erin on this one. I think we were just a random result of the big bang, and there's nothing to say it didn't happen somewhere else as well. We just haven't discovered it yet. :D

Or they haven't discovered us. ;)

[Erin]

Great thread Matt...I love talking about stuff like this. I've got to run to class now, but i'll check back and post more on my thoughts later tonight. :huglove:

[OchrisO]

It all depends on wether or not the universe ever ends. If it doesn't, there there's infinite possibility, so it has to have happened at least one more time.


I'd imagine that there's other life out there. I don't know that they have even come here or even discovered that here exists, though. I hope there's other planets out there capable of sustaining life, because at the rate we are destroying this one, we will have to go elsewhere eventually.

[Daghain]

Or they haven't discovered us.

Good point. :D

[sarajean]

the chances of other intelligent life being bipedal oxygen breathers is very slim.

however, i don't believe we're the only life in the universe, we're just too far away from them for us ever to meet.

"i mean, you may think it's a long way down the road to the chemist, but that's just peanuts to space"---DA

[fernandito]

I was just trying to get a new discussion going. It was interesting to me.
If there are aliens out there would you like to meet them?

Hell yes!! Imagine what we could learn from each other.

[Randall Flagg]

The odds of us being singular in that respect are slim.




For the Universe, the galaxies are our small representative volumes, and there are something like 1011 to 1012 stars in our galaxy, and there are perhaps something like 1011 or 1012 galaxies. With this simple calculation you get something like 1022 to 1024 stars in the Universe. This is only a rough number.

~10,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 stars. Lots of collisions, lots of moons, lots of planets and lots of life forms.
As for bi-pedal, it is an efficient way (as is quadriped) of moving about in a non liquid environment-therefore it's not far fetched that other beings could be bipeds.

[Matt]

**rethinks again**

:lol:

[Erin]

As for bi-pedal, it is an efficient way (as is quadriped) of moving about in a non liquid environment-therefore it's not far fetched that other beings could be bipeds.

I feel the same way.

[Matt]

Its funny because I didn't intend the thread to be about aliens. However its a cool topic.

Mostly I was just amazed by the very unique series of events that put this planet here--just the moon moving away could kill it, and its doing that right now.

Just weird to me but I smoked a lot of pot when I was younger. :lol:

meaning...earlier this year.

[Erin]

Matt...:lol: You crack me up.


But I agree. It is amazing how everything happened to perfectly position our planet in the solar system in order to support life like ours. I'll have to look up the exact distance, but I remember discussing in one undergrad astronomy class that if the Earth was positioned just a little closer to the Sun, it would be too hot to support the type of life we have now. That is simply amazing to me.

[Matt]

I couldn't agree more. Its like...this axis, this position in the solar system, the moon...it just goes on and on.

that's why it seems unique to me sometimes in a purely non religious way.

[Randall Flagg]

Life itself did not happen because of these perfect conditions. Life evolved the way it is here, because of these conditions. There may well be life on Jupiters moons, but if so it will likely be much different than here.

[Odetta]

I agree with Randall...

considering how truly vast the universe is, I think that it is truly possible that the "perfect" conditions for life can exist elsewhere.

[Letti]

http://i129.photobucket.com/albums/p237/Lettike/smiley/ufo.gif

[Matt]

Sure, I agree it could happen again. That's why my first post is about us--meaning the human race, being unique.

[Storyslinger]

http://i129.photobucket.com/albums/p237/Lettike/smiley/ufo.gif

Thats great :lol:

[Aesculapius]

There are a few different versions of this story, but, I enjoy this one because it parallels the story of Aesculapius very close.

*


Chang E:


Chang'e was a beautiful young girl working in the Jade Emperor's palace in heaven, where immortals, good people and fairies lived. One day, she accidentally broke a precious porcelain jar. Angered, the Jade Emperor banished her to live on earth, where ordinary people lived. She could return to the Heaven, if she contributed a valuable service on earth.

Chang'e was transformed into a member of a poor farming family. When she was 18, a young hunter named Houyi from another village spotted her, now a beautiful young woman. They became friends.

One day, a strange phenomenon occurred -- 10 suns arose in the sky instead of one, blazing the earth. Houyi, an expert archer, stepped forward to try to save the earth. He successfully shot down nine of the suns, becoming an instant hero. He eventually became king and married Chang'e.

But Houyi grew to become a tyrant. He sought immortality by ordering an elixir be created to prolong his life. The elixir in the form of a single pill was almost ready when Chang'e came upon it. She either accidentally or purposely swallowed the pill. This angered King Houyi, who went after his wife. Trying to flee, she jumped out the window of a chamber at the top of palace -- and, instead of falling, she floated into the sky toward the moon.

King Houyi tried to shoot her down with arrows, but without success. Her companion, a rabbit, is constantly pounding the elixir of immortality in a large mortar.

The moon is also inhabited by a woodcutter who tries to cut down the cassia tree, giver of life. But as fast as he cuts into the tree, it heals itself, and he never makes any progress. The Chinese use this image of the cassia tree to explain mortal life on earth -- the limbs are constantly being cut away by death, but new buds continually appear.

Meanwhile, King Houyi ascended to the sun and built a palace. So Chang'e and Houyi came to represent the yin and yang, the moon and the sun.

http://i115.photobucket.com/albums/n319/Obelison/change.jpg

Change has come...

[LadyHitchhiker]

I believe the universe is far too big for there not to be other lifeforms out there, but who knows? Maybe the moon helped our progression but other life may have found other ways to make it! There are rumors that there may even be lifeforms on Ganymede a moon in our own solar system and though it may never be proven in our life times, it may someday be proven!

[Aesculapius]

Europa, as well.