Looking on Light Years

by Rob Rey

An extraordinarily fascinating aspect of the reality that we live in is that the deeper we look into space, the deeper we are looking back in time! Though awefully fast, light does not move instantaneously. It travels an astonishing 9.461 trillion kilometers in one Earth year. Yet the depths of visible space are so vast that we can see light arriving at earth now that left it’s source 13.8 billion years ago at the beginning of time (red shifted as it may be). All the light arriving from in between there and here is a history of the universe, waiting for us to learn from. We may not be able to change the past, but we can peer deep into it’s chronology.

Study for a larger painting
6 x 8 inches
Oil on Board

$325 $325

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Rob Rey

Art to help make science a more meaningful part of our lives.

Cosmic Perspective is using the insights of modern science to see the big picture of the world and our place in it with a sense of belonging and connection. It’s understanding our scale within the universe - being humbled by a grand and awe-inspiring expanse of space and deep time. But it’s also seeing the very small with a sense of wonder for the staggering complexity of biology, chemistry, and quantum mechanics. Making an effort to comprehend the cosmos has a way of putting our lives, troubles, and pride in a helpful frame of reference, allowing us to refocus on what matters most. When we see the Earth as a lonely blue speck of oasis, it naturally sparks feelings of fellowship with all other earthlings. Through this panoramic lens, our terrestrial disputes and nationalist contentions are reduced to insignificance. Empathy and compassion become obvious ways to relate to one another.

In a time when our traditional sources of meaning are growing less resonant, Cosmic Perspective provides a new and inspiring scientific origin story of humanity, united by our shared atomic history as stardust. It provides a sense of kinship with all life on earth in our shared genetic evolution over four billion years of development. It provides a sense of belonging and responsibility as a crew member on this spaceship Earth, of which humanity now sits at the helm. It provides hope in our capacity to reason and understand the cosmos of which we are part, giving us new powers to cure disease and improve our lives. It provides us with purpose and necessitates cooperation to preserve and cherish our tiny planet, the only habitable place we know to exist.

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