Earth as seen from the Voyager spacecraft from 3.7 billion miles.
“We succeeded in taking that picture, and, if you look at it, you see a dot. That’s here. That’s home. That’s us. On it, everyone you ever heard of, every human being who ever lived, lived out their lives.” — Carl Sagan, speech at Cornell University, October 13, 1994
On February 14, 1990, a photograph of Earth was taken by the Voyager 1 space probe from a distance of about 6 billion kilometres. Carl Sagan, a famous astronomer, described Earth in that photo as a pale blue dot in the vastness of space, but from that very small dot all of human life has come.
For the planet module we focus on Earth, how can we make sure that our planet is staying in the best shape it can, and how we can be advocates for our little blue dot in space.
Climate change is real, and we see the effects of a warming Earth everyday. Working to take care of Earth can feel hopeless at times, but we always have to remember there are things we can do to make the world a better place. When we work together we can accomplish anything.
This pale blue dot is our home, it is all we have ever known, and it is ours to love and care for.
Share the love
What do you love about Earth? Maybe it is the oceans or the fish that live in them. Maybe you love the flowers that grow outside your school. Maybe it is the blueness of the sky. There are a lot of things to love about Earth.
In your journal, reflect on what you love about Earth. Thing of 3 – 5 things you love, and if you can explain why you love those things. How they make you feel and why they make you feel that way.
Reflect on it:
If you have time, listen to Carl Sagan’s famous piece on the pale blue dot. After listening, write in your notebook how that made you feel. Did you realize how small Earth is? What will you do to protect our pale blue dot?
Find the audio from the US Library of Congress here