Our Blue Origin: Earth's Cape
Our atmosphere is a protective shield that makes life possible and beautiful.
Earth's atmosphere is a spectacular mantle. It’s the real reason why we are the pale blue dot; it holds the oxygen we breathe, constantly protects us from meteorites that would otherwise fall on Earth’s surface, and regulates temperature.
Earth’s atmosphere has particles that scatter sunlight, making the sky appear blue. Without our gaseous shield, we wouldn’t have a blue sky or splendid colors…
This gaseous shield that covers about 10,000 km toward outer space paints the wondrous sunrises and sunsets that make life meaningful.
Without it, our world would be much darker, and the Sun would appear white against a dark sky. Like this:
Our atmosphere is very special; not all planets or moons have one. And even if they do, the composition and proximity to the Sun are different, so the oxygen levels are different, along with the temperatures, and also the colors. (See Sunlight on Mars)
Our blue shield makes our world beautiful and also helps secure our life on Earth by providing breathable oxygen. Thanks to our atmosphere, we don’t have to wear apparatus to breathe… Just open the door and out we go!
Knowing its vital importance, an essential question follows: How do we care for our atmosphere?
Here are some tips:
Conserve energy. Try using less energy. Any energy, even ‘renewable’ energy, has a toxic supply chain.
Plant. The greener the better…
Compost and reduce the kind of trash that needs to be processed.
Walk or cycle to places — use the car less.
Environmentally friendly ads and campaigns seem trite and meaningless. They’re even annoying to many. But behind all of their effort is an undeniable truth: our environment’s health is our own.
Our atmosphere underlies our blue origin.
Stay tuned,
Eva Sky Wymm