There must be enormous numbers of planets around the stars in the many galaxies in our observable universe. We may be sure that wonderful things are happening on these planets that the human race never will observe.
Interpretation
The quote highlights the vastness of the universe and the likelihood of unknown wonders existing on distant planets.
Jim Peebles emphasizes the enormity of the universe and suggests that with countless planets orbiting stars across galaxies, there are bound to be extraordinary phenomena occurring beyond our perception. This statement invites us to reflect on the limits of human observation and to appreciate the mysteries of the cosmos that remain hidden from us.
In practice
During a lecture on astronomy, to inspire wonder about the universe.
We often say that our science is objective and accurate, but we don't often say that our science is incomplete - that although the established parts of natural science are very well tested and the evidence makes a compelling case for things being as they've been described, there nevertheless are open questions that we cannot answer.
You have to know evolution to understand the natural world. And that cannot be a threat to people of faith. There's a serious problem if you are forced by your faith to reject the most well-supported theory in all of science.
When we think about global warming at all, the arguments tend to be ideological, theological and economic.
My wonder button is being pushed all the time.
Most Jupiter-sized planets orbit the mother star in a highly elliptical orbit. This means they will often cross the orbit of any Earth-like planet and fling it into outer space, making life impossible. But our Jupiter travels in a near-perfect circular orbit, preventing a collision with any Earth-like planet, making life possible.
...A one-pound box of prewashed lettuce contains 80 calories of food energy. According to Cornell ecologist David Pimentel, growing, chilling, washing, packaging, and transporting that box of organic salad to a plate on the East Coast takes more than 4,600 calories of fossil fuel energy, or 57 calories of fossil fuel for every calorie of food.
The typical imperative from biology is not "Thou shalt... ," but "If ... then ... else.
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