The recent trip by the Artemis II astronauts reminded me that less than 1,000 people have seen Earth from space. Besides the technological wonders, the new information gathered, and the grandness of the achievement, I listened closely to their words about their thoughts about home.
The Overview Effect is a phenomenon experienced by numerous astronauts. Their view of Earth from space offers a different perspective that heightens their awareness of our planet. They feel a sense of connection, wholeness, and sameness — of identity and harmony — a simultaneous sense that is spiritual, philosophical, scientific, religious, and emotional — a feeling of being part of something bigger and a sense of oneness.
They see a bright blue and white marble, beaming in a black background that seems to stretch forever. They see our planet as an oasis in the vast desert of space. They see this speck in the universe as Spaceship Earth that takes us on a cosmic journey. They see our Earth as a place without geopolitical borders — humanity's sacred cradle, the place we call home.
Although science is important and a powerful tool, science can only take us so far because it has inherent limitations. God speaks to us through science because the laws governing nature and the universe are His words. God is a sensible assumption in life, an idea that neither science nor logic can confirm or deny. Ultimately, exploring creation offers a path to a deeper understanding of and connection with the Creator.
There is a mystery to both science and religion: something unknown, a riddle, secret, puzzle, something difficult, or impossible to explain. Science seeks to transform nature's mysteries into objective answers. Religious mystery concerns the unseen realities and divine unknowns that exist beyond human empirical understanding. This is an unknown that logic can't explain, but faith can accept. Science and religion require us to seek answers through learning, to avoid the abyss of ignorance. Having the willingness to learn and challenge a personal belief is humility in action.
Christians live with this religious mystery. We walk into this mystery with God beside us to comfort us on the journey — a journey that grows over time — a journey that shows us how much we don't know. Being able to realize this is part of human uniqueness.
Besides being the setting and boundaries for science, nature is filled with uniqueness. Nature offers countless opportunities for the curious to find awe. Consider a bat's sense of magnetic fields, a cheetah's speed, a deer's hearing, a dog's sense of smell, a spider web's strength, a chameleon's camouflage, an African elephant's brute force, a dung beetle's strength relative to size, the purpose of a zebra's stripes, a monarch butterfly navigating during its migration, the carrion flower's repulsive smell, a bleeding heart's flower shape, the thorn-like prickles protecting the stem of a delicate rose, the bioluminescence of a fungus growing on a tree attracting insects so its spores are gathered, and countless others. Some of these have known answers, but others are only debatable hypotheses.
From the highest mountains to the vastness and depths of the oceans; from the smallest cells down into the molecules, atoms, neutrons, protons, electrons, and their smaller components; from the brightening skies of daily sunrises to the glorious colors of sunsets; from the meadow filled with wildflowers to the magnificent depths of deep space with nebulae, black holes, supernovas, quasars, numerous galaxies, and stars at different points in their life cycle — creation offers much to ponder.
All this evokes a powerful emotion that triggers amazement, wonder, humility, awe, and reverence. We can feel small but also connected to something bigger and, therefore, grateful to be part of the experience.
Cells are small, and the naked eye cannot see them. The nucleus is inside the cell. DNA is inside the nucleus. Going from the DNA recipe for making a protein to the actual building process occurring outside the nucleus is fascinating. It's also understandable to all if effectively taught. That world is as impressive and inspiring as the views from a mountain top, through a powerful telescope, or through the new vast world the Hubble and Webb space telescopes have revealed.
Light travels 186,000 miles per second — that's 5.88 trillion miles in a year (one light-year). Our solar system is approximately 1.8 light-years wide. Our solar system is part of the Milky Way galaxy. The Milky Way is about 105,000 light-years wide. The nearest large galaxy to the Milky Way, the Andromeda Galaxy, is about 2.5 million light-years away. Scientists currently estimate two trillion galaxies exist in a universe 80-90 billion light-years wide. This is difficult to comprehend. I wonder: Is any portion of the universe inaccessible? If so, it is unobservable and unmeasurable; therefore, inaccessible to science.
Because Carl Sagan's Pale Blue Dot resonates with me, I occasionally rewatch the short video, which sometimes chokes me up. Thinking about being one of billions of people at this moment on a spinning rock that is a speck in our galaxy is a conundrum to me. Let alone all the people who have passed before me and yet to come. I'm astonished, while feeling insignificant and special.
In the grand scheme of life, I settle on feeling special because integrating science and faith has taken me to greater depth and appreciation for the universe and creation than I ever imagined. Looking into the vast expanse of deep space suggests a reality far exceeding human understanding — the existence of something bigger and deeper. Reading the words or watching the video of Richard Feynman's flower adds beauty, complexity, and more awe to something bigger.
Questions still exist in my mind. Theoretically, quantum physics allows us to rewind an expanding universe to a starting point we can call Time Zero — giving new meaning to "In the beginning." However, what was before the beginning? I smile at this thought.
From the Big Bang to today and into tomorrow, nature reveals God's creation and Divine Presence as a generous gift for us to appreciate, explore, and care for. From every ray of sunshine to each droplet of water — from every living thing that is and has been to the soil, rocks, fire, and water — from the depths of the oceans to the tops of mountains — from our Earth to its moon, to other planets, and to the multitude of galaxies in the universe — God is present in all things. As poet Elizabeth Barrett Browning wrote in Aurora Leigh, "Earth is crammed with heaven ... but only he who sees takes off his shoes."
Christianity is not life in a straitjacket. God is not a charlatan or a helicopter parent. God gave us good news for everlasting life through Jesus the Christ and his death and resurrection on the cross. God also gave us nature as a place for us to act on His behalf — and Scripture provides our expectations while establishing our relationship with God and the people of the world. Creation is grand and I am thankful that our understanding is wide enough to embrace science and faith.
Frank Girolami is a member of Prince of Peace Lutheran Church in Loveland, Ohio and is a retired high school science teacher and a retired instructional designer. He enjoys reading about the intersection of science and faith and has made numerous presentations on the topic at his church.
