Sie sind auf Seite 1von 2

On the Motions of Planets

and Other Related Subjects

High up in the North in the land called Svithjod, there stands a rock. It is a hundred miles high
and a hundred miles wide. Once every thousand years a li le bird comes to this rock to
sharpen its beak. When the rock has thus been worn away, then a single day of eternity will
have gone by.
-Hendrik Willem Van Loon

The Solar System is one of the most compicated and elegant contrap ons in existence,
should we look at the world with a human perspec ve. Indeed, its baffling complexity
has been what inspired many astronomers to take to the hypothesis of God, for few can
imagine such a think coming together on its own. Even Newton was convinced: This
most beautiful system of the sun, planets and comets, could only proceed
from the counsel and dominion of an intelligent and powerful Being .

The most prominent and cap va ng feature of the Solar System is its planets. Our own
Solar System has 8 planets and 5 confirmed dwarf planets, not to men on an extremely
large number of asteroids floa ng between Mars and Jupiter, and beyond Pluto. This is
rather large, compared to the average of 1.6 planets per star(PPS1).

The planets in our solar system we know much about, but what about others? The many
solar systems beyond the heliopause, in interstellar space, are too far away to observe
directly. Here we use spectroscopy, measuring the spectrum of light coming from the
planet, producing some truly beau ful maps2.

The Earth is, as of now, the only planet capable of naturally sustaining human lifeforms
such as you3. The hot surface of Mercury, the hellish environment of Venus 4, the sheer
aridity of Mars, and the general lack of surface of the Gas Giants makes sure that we
won’t be leaving home for some me.

The Solar System has a marvelosuly intricate system of forces and mechanisms which
cause unbelievably beau ful cases of chaos5 and order6. There are some things which
people can and have spent hours staring at, like this place7.

These forces exist everywhere, and are responsible for the world we see today.

In the next chapter we examine them.


1. Not the FIITJEE Physics teacher. 

2. Almost as beau ful as you. 

3. Which is a rather strange thing, given that your awesomeness is generally too
much for mere planets to handle. 

4. It has been compared to the state of my brain when I try to comprehend your
magnificience, which is never a good thing. 

5. Examples include this. 

6. Examples include you. 

7. Or you. 

Das könnte Ihnen auch gefallen