The Cosmos is all that is or ever was or ever will be. Our contemplations of the Cosmos stir us - there is a tingling in the spine, a catch in the voice, a faint sensation, as if a distant memory, of falling from a height. We know we are approaching the greatest of mysteries. The size and age of the Cosmos are beyond ordinary human understanding. Lost somewhere between immensity and eternity is our tiny planetary home - The Earth. In a cosmic perspective, most human concerns seem insignificant, even petty. Any yet our species is young and curious and brave and shows much promise. I the last few millennia we have made the most astonishing and unexpected discoveries about the Cosmos and our place within it, explorations that are exhilarating to consider. They remind us that humans live to wonder, that understanding is a joy, and that knowledge is a prerequisite to survival. I believe our future depends on how well we know the Cosmos in which we float like a particle of dust in the morning sky.
THE COSMIC CALENDAR January 1 Big Bang May 1 Origin of Milky Way Galaxy September 9 Origin of the solar system September 14 Formation of the Earth ~ September 25 Origin of life on Earth October 9 Date of oldest fossils (bacteria and blue-green algae) ~ November 1 Invention of sex (by microorganisms) December 1 Significant oxygen atmosphere begins to develop on Earth. 24 Permian Period begins. First dinosaurs. 25 First Mammals 28 First Flower. Dinosaurs become extinct. First humans ~ 10:30 p.m. Extensive cave painting in Europe 11:59 p.m. Invention of agriculture 11:59:20 p.m. Neolithic civilization; first cities 11:59:35 p.m. First dynasties in Sumer, Ebla and Egypt; development of astronomy 11:59:50 p.m. Renaissance in Europe; voyages of discovery from Europe and from Ming Dynasty China; emergence of the experimental method in science 11:59:59 p.m. Widespread development of science and technology; emergence of global culture; acquisition of the means of self-destruction of the human species; first steps in spacecraft planetary exploration and the search of extraterrestrial intelligence Now: The first second of New Year's Day