There must be enormous numbers of planets around the stars in the many galaxies in our observable universe. We may be sure that wonderful things are happening on these planets that the human race never will observe.
Interpretation
The quote highlights the vastness of the universe and the likelihood of unknown wonders existing on distant planets.
Jim Peebles emphasizes the enormity of the universe and suggests that with countless planets orbiting stars across galaxies, there are bound to be extraordinary phenomena occurring beyond our perception. This statement invites us to reflect on the limits of human observation and to appreciate the mysteries of the cosmos that remain hidden from us.
In practice
During a lecture on astronomy, to inspire wonder about the universe.
We often say that our science is objective and accurate, but we don't often say that our science is incomplete - that although the established parts of natural science are very well tested and the evidence makes a compelling case for things being as they've been described, there nevertheless are open questions that we cannot answer.
There is fuel in every bit of vegetable matter that can be fermented. There's enough alcohol in one year's yield of an acre of potatoes to drive the machinery necessary to cultivate the fields for a hundred years.
Hubble touches people. When you're looking that far out, you're giving people their place in the universe, it touches people. Science is often visual, so it doesn't need translation. It's like poetry, it touches you.
Perhaps arising from a fascination with animals, biology seemed the most interesting of sciences to me as a child.
Mathematics, the non-empirical science par excellence . . . the science of sciences, delivering the key to those laws of nature and the universe which are concealed by appearances.
Some solutions are relatively simple and would provide economic benefits: implementing measures to conserve energy, putting a price on carbon through taxes and cap-and-trade and shifting from fossil fuels to clean and renewable energy sources.
During the century after Newton, it was still possible for a man of unusual attainments to master all fields of scientific knowledge. But by 1800, this had become entirely impracticable.
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