Understanding Space

I’m sure that everyone has pondered the makeup of the cosmos at some point. I certainly have spent a few nights looking up at the stars wondering what exactly is going on. Unfortunately, I have just never been able to wrap my head around the enormity and complexity of space and why it is that way. I’ve also never really understood physics in anything beyond a superficial manner although I’ve certainly tried.

Those who dedicate their lives to solving these mysteries get a lot of respect from me. Being a scientist and dedicating your life to research sounds like a fulfilling way to live if you could make a living doing it. It seems to me that physics especially has many significant unanswered questions. If I were a physicist, I could foresee myself trying to answer all of them and in the end answering none of them at all. At this point, I would settle for just understanding the concepts that interest me enough that I could explain them if I had to and their significance to the world in general.

I happened upon an episode of NOVA while searching Amazon Prime for some more educational offerings to offset my tastes centering around science fiction and superheroes blowing shit up. NOVA is an amazing television program that breaks down difficult to understand science concepts and shares them with the uninitiated. The episode “The Fabric of the Cosmos: What Is Space?” is the first time I’ve ever been able to comprehend the mysteries I’ve pondered in length such as:

Why is the speed of light constant? What is time-space? What is dark energy? What is the “CERN Large Hadron Collider” trying to actually accomplish?

I watched this episode with a figurative light-bulb strobing over my head with full mind blown. I actually understand the significance of Einstein’s Theory of Relativity now, which is something I’ve never been able to wrap my head around.

If you’re interested in these ideas then you can find the episode “The Fabric of the Cosmos: What Is Space?” HERE