While listening recently to a podcast interview by the Discovery Center of astrobiologist Guillermo Gonzalez, I was struck by his point that the place of the earth in the universe makes it almost uniquely positioned to allow human beings to observe the universe. For example, because the earth has a generally clear atmosphere, it is possible for us to observe the stars at night. This would not be possible on a planet with a thicker atmosphere, like Venus. Even on a planet like Mars, which has a relatively clear--though thin--atmosphere, observation of the stars could be difficult due to the large amounts of dust on the planet. It is not difficult to speculate that if human beings had not been able to see the stars, they might have been motivated to learn more about them, and thus, the science of astronomy might never had developed.
Moreover, in addition to its clarity, which allows us to see the stars, the nature of the earth's atmosphere makes it possible for us to view rainbows. Rainbows are certainly beautiful, and in their beauty also declare the glory of the Creator. They also inspired early scientists like Descartes and Newton to explore what caused their unique appearance, leading to the discovery of the light spectrum, which was extreme important in developing our understanding of the universe. As Gonzalez explains in his interview:
Unlocking the secret of rainbows really opened up the rest of the universe because we made artificial rainbows in the laboratory...with prisms, for example, spreading the sunlight into its constituent colors, and then scientists after that used it in chemistry, and it was discovered that the different chemical elements have unique light spectra, and then it was applied to astronomy in the late 1800s, and by making these artificial rainbows from the light gathered through a telescope from a distant star we were able to learn an enormous amount of information about the distant stars. It literally unlocked the secrets of the universe.
However, Gonzalez further points out, rainbows cannot be viewed on celestial bodies lacking an atmosphere like the Moon or the planet Mercury, nor on planets with a thick atmosphere like Venus. And so, once again, we can see that the position of the earth in the universe facilitated the emergence of the science of astronomy.
All of this tends to disprove the assertion of the late atheist astronomer Carl Sagan that the earth is a mere "pale blue spot" in the universe, a planet of no particular distinction.
To conclude, the place of the earth in the universe has enabled humanity to learn much about the nature of the universe itself--something that very likely would have been impossible had the earth been situated differently. Moreover, as we have learned more and more about the nature of the universe, we have been given even more reasons to be in awe of its Creator. Thus, the heavens are truly declaring the glory of God--both to our eyes and our minds.
Image: Photograph of the Andromeda Galaxy by Ivan Bok, from Wikimedia Commons