Robert Roy Britt, writing for "Living Science," in 2012, was struck by what an amazing thing the planet earth is. He used words like "incredible," "perfect," and "just right." The following are some of the 13 amazing things he mentioned about our planet:
To introduce us to the Big 13, he wrote: "The
air is exactly the mix of chemicals we need, there's lots of water, and the temperature is just right — at least in some places some of the time. Then he began his Big 13:
1. Third Rock: Our world orbits the sun at just the right distance — not too hot, not too cold.
This habitable zone is where water can exist in liquid form — a basic requirement for life. Nobody is bragging about their oceanfront property
on Mars or the cool breeze on Venus.
2. The Moon:
But be thankful for our great big beautiful satellite. Its gravitational tug creates tides (with the help of the sun).
3. Stable Rotation:
Earth's rotation brings the sun up each morning and, thankfully, puts it back down. If it weren't for this, one side of the world would be unbearably scorched and the other would freeze life to death. So you know, the moon is stealing some of Earth's rotational energy, slowing us down by about 1.5 milliseconds every century. [That IS stable!]
4. Constant Gravity: Nobody expects gravity to go anywhere anytime soon, but it's interesting to note that scientists don't really understand how gravity works.
We take it for granted, but gravity helps make us who we are. It defines our strength, contributes to the shape and form of every living thing. An average male human transported to Mars could dunk on a
26-foot-tall basketball hoop due to the reduced gravity. A 200-pound man trying to stand on
Jupiter (good luck) would weigh 480 pounds and would have to get a lot stronger just to jump more than a few inches.
5. The Deep Blue Sea: About 70 percent of our world is covered by oceans. The significance can't be overstated: Abundant liquid
water is the most significant distinguishing factor on this planet that
supports life.
Well, that's enough of the Big 13. You get the idea of just how special our created planet is, created just for us. How does Roy Britt sum up all of this amazing specialness? Here's what he says: "We're lucky." And, "If our star [the sun] and our world had shorter life spans — as many do — we'd never have gotten on our own two feet and developed brains big enough to ponder just how lucky we are to be here."
Lucky? What is the Bible's pronouncement of this viewpoint? Read Romans 1:21.
WITHOUT COST
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