The Elegant Universe - Essay Example

The Elegant UniverseThere are billions of galaxies in the universe and within each galaxy, there are billions of stars and our sun is only one star in the ocean of galaxies. Compared with the size of the universe, our existence seems puny. In this regard, it can safely be said that our planet Earth is not unique and there are many Earth-like exoplanets in the sense that they lie within the habitable zone of their host star. Moreover, it is highly probable that water could be found on at least one of the planets out of many billions.

However, we have just been considering life forms that may have developed in the presence of water and in the earth-like conditions but there is every possibility that life forms may exist in conditions that we may discard as being unsuitable for life since those are not the conditions for life as we know it (Greene). It, therefore, seems very unlikely that we are alone in this universe and somewhere out there may be species waiting to be contacted. According to almost all of the scientific community, the universe was formed about 13.

6 billion years ago and it has been expanding since its conception. There had been quite some debates regarding the shape and nature of the universe in the scientific literature. There were many hits regarding the expansion of the universe including the famous Doppler effect on the electromagnetic spectrum where the radiations are red shifted. However, the most startling fact about our expanding universe is that the expansion is accelerating and the regions that are farthest away from us are moving the fastest.

Moreover, there is no hint whether this acceleration would ever hint and therefore all the clues point towards the fact that the universe is infinite or if it has an end, it is almost at an infinite distance from us.Even though the universe is so vast that our existence seems puny and negligible, I feel a deep connection to the universe. All the atoms in our body as well as in everything that we use were born in the hearts of the stars. And it would not be an exaggeration to say that we are an embodiment of the universe trying to understand ourselves.

The universe and its vastness is also a source of calmness and serenity; it is always there whether we try to observe it or not and hence its presence casts a shadow over us all the time. The stars, the sky as well as all the galaxies and the planets have aroused the curiosity of humans for generations and have played a vital role in laying down the foundations of science. All of the maestros of science including Galileo, Newton, and Kepler got their inspiration from the universe and in their attempt to understand it; they found the laws of physics that govern the world.

I have the deep regard and profound respect for the universe and I feel that I am as much a part of it as it is a part of me.Works CitedGreene, Brian. The Elegant Universe: Superstrings, Hidden Dimensions, and the Quest for the Ultimate Theory. W. W. Norton & Company, 2011. Print.