IT'S A BIG OL' UNIVERSE OUT THERE

I watched Wonders of the Universe on the BBC last night which is presented by Professor Brian Cox.  For me it's one of the most interesting and compelling programs on television and, as some of you who read one of my previous blogs will know, I don't watch television that much.

What I really like about Wonders and Professor Cox is the way the show is presented.  Over the course of the series each aspect is explained in simple layman's terms.  However this is not done in some patronising way.  A degree of intellect and the ability to learn is required but he puts over the complex and mind blowing laws of universal physics in a way that someone like me, who spent all of his time in physics classes trying to electrocute myself or trying to blow the lab up, would actually find the theory aspect interesting.

I previously watched the precursor to this, Wonders of the Solar System, and I was that hooked by it I bought it on Blu Ray to watch in glorious high definition, and it is worth it.  Not only is the program well presented but there are some beautiful images of the universe and the myriad of objects that make it up.

It is sometime a hard thing to detach oneself from the daily grind of life on Earth and more specifically our own lives.  Sometimes we become too wrapped up in the immediacy of our own existence to actually fully appreciate exactly how much of a fantastic gift life is.  One of the things that I was totally unaware of is that one day our universe will effectively die out.  The stars will stop shining and all that will be left will be the darkness of the void.  The actual period of the universes life that we are in at the moment is the only period where life anywhere in the universe will be possible.  OK, we a measuring this in billions and trillions of years here so it's not like a 1000 year opportunity, but universally speaking that is a small period of it's life cycle.

When you think about this and then factor in the requirements for life to prosper as it has on Earth it really makes you think just how great a gift life is.  With odds stacked against the successful establishment of life on a planet the fact that we get a shot at it now in almost perfect circumstances is something we should be thankful for.

I am looking forward to what else the series will bring.  Although I have a limited understanding of the true physics behind this marvelous engine that is the universe I still try to learn as much as I can.  I just wish there were more programs like this out there whereby there is a true educational value to be obtained.