I’m 16 and currently thinking that I’ll go in state to save money. I’m doing IB so no doubt I’ll get a scholarship. From there, I plan on going to other schools for grad school and I’ll hopefully get a PhD somewhere nice. IT’S GONNA BE AWESOME

When I was little I had one of those giant cardboard books that was about space. I really enjoyed looking through it and asking my dad questions.

I remember clearly when I was around… oh, I don’ know. Somewhere between 6 and 8, I guess. I’m terrible with remembering stuff like that. Anyway, I asked my dad “How powerful is the sun? More powerful than a light bulb?” he said yes, a lot more powerful. “More powerful than 10 light bulbs?” Yes. “More powerful than 100 light bulbs?” Yep. “Whoa.” I thought that was really cool. It made my world that much bigger.

I guess my current state of interest in astronomy comes from my 8th grade science class, though. At first, I was really into Newton’s laws. I wanted to go into space and try them out. That year my teacher showed my class a bunch of these really cute, really old tapes called “Eureka!” and I loved them. That class also got me really interested in physics, too. I wanted to go into space and throw a rock, then follow it and see if it really would go on forever until something hit it. Space is the place! and I wanted (want) to go there.

I also really loved the planets from early on, especially Jupiter and Saturn. Jupiter is still my favorite one. I thought they looked cool. Only until later, when I read Cosmos, did I realize that each planet is actually a place, somewhere you can go and look up in the sky and see the sun. Clouds, landscapes, rocks, skies no one has ever seen. Caves. Snow capped mountains. Everything.

Beginning to read Carl’s books really marked a turning point in my life, though; psychologically, morally, and scientifically. Cosmos really spurred my interest in space, one of the few books that did (along with 2001: A Space Odyssey and later Contact).

The most compelling thing for me, though, was science documentaries on T.V. I love those things. I could watch T.V. shows about space or anything science related all day - they’re so enjoyable to me! From T.V. shows (like Stephen Hawking’s Into the Universe and Brian Cox’s various series), I heard first of nucleosynthesis, the conditions on Titan, evolution of galaxies - I could go on. They’re so fascinating.

Sagan came way later, but is still a main influence. I could honestly go on about this for a few more paragraphs, but I don’t want to bore you. Good question, though :D Thank you.

I guess the right question to ask would be what I haven’t questioned.

One of the main things that discredits religion (specifically the Judeo-Christian-Islamic view of the world) in my opinion is the scale of the universe. I only undertake the task occasionally because it requires so much thought and attention, but thinking about how vast the universe actually is makes the notion that any sort of god coming specifically to the Earth a very outlandish idea. In the words of Richard Feynman, it’s too provincial. Too local. There is so much possibility for life elsewhere that it makes humans seem not too special. After all, we’re the result of a lucky chain of events that lead to the evolution of life and we’re merely the result of consequence rather than the reason for the universe to exist.

Modern-day humans have existed for about 200,000* years, a mere blip in the time span that Earth has existed (4.5 billion years) and an inconceivably small amount of time when compared with the age of the universe.

Then there is the problem with eyewitness testimony (a better choice of words would be “lack of physical evidence”, I guess) and the fallibility of religious text. The former provides no basis for strict testing, something that has gotten us very far as a species. The latter not only provides a plethora of contradictions but some ideas, if not most, have been lost in translation at some point or another. The best tool we humans have currently is science, and it seems very unlikely to me that something that was written hundreds of years ago, then translated (then translated many more times, then misinterpreted, then translated again… you can test how easily things can be lost in translation with Bad Translator) should have more credibility than a modern vice that is worked and improved upon constantly.

There are many more things that don’t carry as much importance for me personally, such as morality and the motives of religion, but those that I listed above are the most compelling conclusions I’ve come upon/conclusions I’ve come to myself. 

Ah, that was very stimulating! Thanks for the great ask.

Grade 10!

I haven’t even had a basic physics class yet, but I plan on studying it. My dad thinks I’ll like it because it’s so fundamental and it has fascinated me more than any other area of science.

I know that I definitely want to go into a science that deals with physics or astronomy. Perhaps quantum physics, as I’m now considering, or astrophysics. Either sound exhilarating and are areas that we have a lot to discover in. I’m also really interested in the properties of light and cosmology.

Hmm… I thought I made it pretty clear in a few of the last posts, but I’m female. It’s also in my “about” tab. So.

16.

Hoo-wee. What a big question.

I like Carl Sagan because of his prudence and rationality. He had such a way with words that I consider him a poet.

Everything he said was measured and precise. He was kind and tried really hard not to offend anyone, or deny anyone the opportunity to ask him a question. He advocated skepticism, something we desperately need in our youth and politicians. He saw the beauty in such simple and ordinary things, and loved sharing his knowledge with the world.

He is my favorite human being.