While astronomers continue to debate exactly what a planet is, with poor old Pluto being knocked off the list, the rest of us have a general idea and use the term fairly loosely. We know that we live on Planet Earth and that it revolves around our star, the sun. We also give some interesting ‘planet’ terms to social and human things around us.
You can eat out at planet Hollywood all over the planet. Perhaps the idea of joining the African American black planet site appeals? Or maybe you could find out more about other creatures on Earth by watching a few Animal Planet documentaries on the discovery channel? In a sense these kinds of names simply refer to a specific type of unique community deemed to be ‘different’ than anything else.
As far as our relationship to the universe goes, man has always had a fascination for the planets. We have based zodiac systems around the movement of planets and other celestial bodies in the universe. Millions have been spent on exploring outer space.
The planet mars is our closest neighbour and we have looked for the answer to the ‘is there life on Mars?’ question for hundreds of years. Setting foot on the moon was seen as the first major step in man’s quest to discover more about the universe and planets. Now we have huge satellites that roam the solar system, sending back photographs and other information to help solve the mysteries that surround us.
So far Earth is the only planet in our solar system with an ocean, though there is continuing research regarding the possibility of salt water oceans beneath the surface of some of Jupiter’s moons. Hydrocarbon oceans also exist on Titan, one of Saturn’s moons. It is this quest for an ocean, or more succinctly water that drives scientists to find whether life on other planets is possible. Life, as we know it, can only exist with water, so this is what the scientists are looking for.
We can appreciate our small planet that we exist on, it’s smaller planetary existences within, the greatness of the planets within our solar system and the planets that exist beyond. The universe is a wonder from the micro to the macro, however you look at it.
