We
have once again reached that noteworthy milestone—in the Northern Hemisphere,
it is the Winter Solstice, the shortest day and longest night, the turning
point of the year when darkness stops advancing, and the Sun appears to stand
still in the sky before reversing course.
It’s been quite a year for space exploration. The James Webb Space Telescope successfully launched just about a year ago in spite of endless delays and repeatedly going over budget. It performed flawlessly in unfurling its sunshield and mirror, reaching its Lagrange Point position, and returning stunning images that open a new era of exploration for astrophysics, planetary science, and cosmology.
Another long delayed project, our return to the Moon, also finally launched this year. Artemis I sent back beautiful close up photos of both Earth and Moon, reminiscent of the famous Apollo 8 image captured at this time of year back in 1968—a picture that had a profound impact on many and played a key role in launching the environmental movement.
While 2022 has certainly had its share of challenges, it brought to fruition projects some doubted would ever launch, revealing that late does not mean never and reminding us that if something really matters, giving up should never be an option.
People who have had the good fortune to travel to space note it brings a life-changing perspective. From there, no borders are visible, just one fragile planet, now home to 8 billion people and numerous other life forms.
We all, not just world leaders, need that change in perspective because the problems our home planet faces cannot be addressed by just one group of people or one country. The only way we have any hope to stabilize our climate, mitigate the worst effects of climate change, and clean up our air, land, and water, is to come together as one people on one planet.
Too often, people look at the year-end holidays in ways that divide us, at a time when, more than ever, we need to unite to preserve our planet’s habitability for future generations—so we can one day explore the solar system and eventually the stars.
This day, at its core, is about hope. It is about light and life, known by the
Romans as the Birthday of the Unconquerable Sun. This makes it an ideal time to
treasure the gift of our planet and affirm the amazing things we can accomplish
when we come together for a common goal—like launching JWST and sending
astronauts to the Moon.
If we can do those things, we can save our planet for future generations. May the year that starts with the return of the light inspire us all to come together and choose a future of light and life.
“We are the power in everyone
We are the dance of the Moon and Sun
We are the hope that cannot hide
We are the turning of the tide!”
