Jupiter : The Savior

Jupiter. The king of planets of our solar system. It is really a king, Almost 1300 earths can fit inside Jupiter. It is so massive that almost three earths can fit inside its great red spot. This Jupiter is the savior of earth. It saved earth many times in the past. It is also saving us still now. The question is how ?

Do you remember Shoemaker Levy 9? That comet which collided with Jupiter in 1994. Though Jupiter didn't fill much by that collision but can you imagine what would happen if those collided with earth? Simple answer, we wouldn't exist after that collision. Jupiter prevented that by catching it with its huge gravitational pull. That removed the chance of hitting earth and its total destruction.

Shoemaker Levy 9 on its collision course with Jupiter 

So, is Jupiter always so vigilant? Answer is no. It failed sometimes. The greatest example of its failure was 65 million years back. It failed to protect earth from that giant asteroid which hit earth and made that huge crater in Mexico. Dinosaurs paid the price by their life for that failure. But in most of the cases it guarded or should say still guarding earth very well and efficiently. Jupiter is important for intelligent life to evolve.

Nowadays, we are discovering many star systems with planets. Some of them are earth like and in habitable zones. So, we may assume life and if lucky intelligent life can be evolved on those planets. Well one of the conditions needed for intelligent life to sustain or evolve is presence of Jupiter like planet in that star system. If not then the chances are not so high. Recently Trappist-1 star system is made a huge impact on planet hunters and scientists. Seven planets orbiting a dwarf star and three of them are in habitable zone and earth like. But the problem is no Jupiter like planet is present there. So, we may find life in those planets in future but intelligent life ? Well I am not so optimistic.

The conclusion is Jupiter or Jupiter like planets are crucial for intelligent life. Whether it is for our solar system or any other star system. 

  

The Greatest Number of All Time : Zero

   "0". What is it? You will answer "It is a zero". What can it do?  Well, it can do noting when it is alone. When combined with other numbers ? It can do miracles. Did you ever think of life without zero? No, You didn't. Cause our civilization, our technology, our commerce, economy, science, mathematics even our daily life is greatly depend on it. What if we delete zero from our life ? Our whole modern civilization will collapse.

  

   As per sources zero was first invented in Ancient Sumeria. From there it spreaded to Babylon, India, China etc. We find the first appearance of zero in India around 2nd or 3rd century BC. It was called "Sunya", which means empty space. 

   How zero boosted up our advancement ? Let's think of a number. Let's take 100. You wrote it easily. Now if you write it in Roman numeral, then it will be "C". Now you multiply this 100 with 235. Answer is 23500. Now do that in Roman. It will be C multiply by..... let me think. What is 235 in Roman numeral? Need to google. Got it. It is CCXXXV. Then what is 23500? Need to google it again. It is (X)(X)MMMD. Nowadays you have google. Think of our scientists or mathematicians of ancient time. To do this simple multiplication, which our 2nd grade children can do in minutes, would take at least 2 minutes (If you know Roman numeral very well, if not then sadly...... you can't). It is only 23500, What if it is 1035673589. It would take a whole day to just find and write this number. Zero made it easy, "A matter of minute".

   Zero made it possible for mathematics, one of the main pillars of our science to do the calculations fast. That made our civilization to develop in rapid speed.

So, conclusion is : Zero is invaluable and one of the greatest invention of human civilization. It is the greatest number of all time.   

      

  

God exists. How can you prove?

This title is little tricky. Does god exist ? In my eyes, yes. God exists. I may try to prove it also. Calm down, Calm down. Don't be so hyper. Let me explain.

What is the definition of god ? According to Wikipedia "God has been conceived as either personal or impersonal. In theism, God is the creator and sustainer of the universe, while in deism, God is the creator, but not the sustainer, of the universe. In pantheism, God is the universe itself." 

So, we got an idea who or what can be called god. God is the creator. Who created this universe. Who created us and all living and non living things. What we are made of then ? We are made of the same thing which made the other things in universe. Atom is the smallest part of us but it is not solid. It is made of three little particles. Proton, Neutron & Electron. This trio is the main magician of creation. The element can be changed by adding or subtracting these particles. Like we know about Hydrogen. It is on no. 1 in periodic table. It has 1 proton and 1 electron. 

Hydrogen atom

Now if you add 1 more proton, i more electron and 1 or 2 neutrons (Depends on the isotope) in that, you will get Helium. It is on No. 2 in periodic table. 

Now when we add 1 more proton, 1 more electron and 2 or 3 neutrons (Again depends on the isotope) with it, we get Lithium. Which is on no.3 in periodic table and it is metal not gas like Hydrogen or Helium. 

So, by addition and subtraction, these three particles can create everything in this known universe.

These three little magicians can create and sustain everything. Stars, planets, humans all are in this list. This trio is god. They create, they sustain, they destroy. Famous Astrophysicist Carl Sagan once said "We are made of star stuff". Absolutely True. Cause stars and us both made by these little magicians. 

Humans made the image of god in their own reflection. By their inability to understand the magic of these little all powerful particles. 

As we see in every religion god created us, god made this universe, god is preserver, god is all powerful. True it is. These are the gods.

I shared my view. The way I understand and think about god. I didn't try to create any controversy from religious angle. I just tried to find a scientific definition of god with my little knowledge and understanding. Please share your view in comment.     

Who are the "Trimurti" and their role in Cosmic Cycle as per Hinduism

"Trimurti" is actually trinity of gods in Hinduism. They are the supreme gods and have special roles in the universe. They are the main pillars of universe. Its Creation, Preservation and Destruction are maintained by these three. Unlike other mythologies they are not king of gods but King of god Indra is a lesser one in front of them. Unlike other mythologies these three control total universe. Other gods control earthly matters. These three are beyond comparison with other lesser gods. They are Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva. 

Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva

Brahma : Brahma is the creator god. He created the universe. Everything inside the universe is created by him. He has four heads (Actually had five but that one was cut by Shiva. That's another story. Will share another time). His four heads overlook the four sides. Brahma is portrayed as an old man. All living and non living things are his children. He is like a father figure to all.

Brahma

Vishnu : Vishnu is the preserver god. He preserves the universe and its inhabitants created by Brahma. He is very powerful, most intelligent and tricky among the three gods. He saved creation many times from many catastrophes. Like in my earlier post I shared his role in great flood where he instructed Manu to build a giant boat and himself incarnated as Matsya Avatar or the giant fish which pulled the boat to safety. He had total ten Avatars or incarnations. Most famous of them were Rama of epic Ramayana and Krishna of epic Mahabharata. His role is to maintain the balance between creation and destruction. 

Vishnu

Shiva : Shiva is the destroyer. He is called as Mahadev means god of gods and sometimes Adi Dev means the ancient one. He is the most ancient. We find birth story of Vishnu and Brahma but there is no story regarding Shiva's birth. Like he was there from the beginning. Who created him nobody knows. He destroys to clear the path for new creation. He is the most noble one. He portrayed as a Man wearing tiger's hide and holding a trident. 

Shiva

In Hinduism where is beginning there is an end. Its a cosmic cycle. As the universe was created it will end but not the complete end. It will be created again and will be destroyed again. Nothing is eternal here. Birth of universe, death of universe and rebirth of universe. These three deities are the symbol of that cosmic theory. So, in Hindu mythology these three are the most powerful and the symbol of that creation cycle.  

The Great Flood : Myth or Real ?

   We all know about the great flood of old testament. How Noah saved humans and animals by building the ark. When it happened they boarded that ark and saved themselves from destruction.

Matsya Avatar of God Vishnu

Well you can find the similar story in Hinduism. Here Manu built a huge boat by command of god Vishnu. Vishnu himself incarnated as Matsya Avatar (A giant fish), one of his ten incarnations and saved the boat by piloting it to safety. This way Manu saved others.

Well the same story is present in Sumerian mythology. In Gilgamesh epic of Mesopotamia we find the same story of flood.

So, what is common in all these myths ? All mentioned a great flood which destroyed civilization. 

Is there any truth in flood myth ? Well last ice age ended nearly 12000 years ago. After that earth started warming up again and the ice started melting. Next scenario is very much common in our modern days. Because of our mass production of green house gas icebergs of Antarctica and Arctic are melting and sea level is rising. That also happened after last ice age and rising of sea level caused a great flood.

Black Sea

Modern Black Sea was only a lake 10000 years ago. After rising of sea level in Mediterranean Sea it overflowed and flooded that lake. That area is today's Black Sea. Scientists found proof of human settlements in the seabed of Black Sea. So, may be this myth originated from there.

Conclusion : Why this is common in so many mythologies ? Cause our ancestors witnessed that in the past. They all came from the same area. After the flood, people spreaded everywhere. Where ever they went they went with their mythology and myth. Now in time the religions and characters changed names but the story remained same. Because it was based on an actual event. That's why all mythologies were talking about the same event in similar manner. This is the proof, it was not myth. It was a real event of the distant past.

What do you think ? 

Why science fiction is important for scientific advancement

    I hope you know Jules Verne. The author of "20000 leagues under the sea", "From earth to the moon" and "Around the world in 80 days". He was a French author of 19th century , who wrote about a ship called Nautilus in his novel “20000 leagues under the sea”. Nautilus was a version of modern day submarine. In “From earth to the moon” he wrote about the journey to the moon. Who doesn't know about Star Trek ? The adventures of Captain Kirk. We saw many fictional things in Star Trek, like video calling, mobile phone, Starship Enterprise, teleportation etc. So what is common in all these things ? They were all science fiction of their time. When Jules Verne wrote those novels nobody ever imagined about submarine or going to the moon. When Star Trek first released, the mobile phone and video calling were fiction. Though Starship Enterprise is still a fiction and teleportation is imaginary thing but we can see International Space Station which is orbiting earth. So we may get our Starship Enterprise in near future.

Starship Enterpirse

Now why I'm giving the science fiction so importance ? Cause these fictions are the first pillars of invention of those fictional things. I'm not saying they have directly impact on those inventions but those fictions inspired the future scientists to invent those things. There is no doubt about it. They ideas were supplied to science . The ideas which were born through authors’ imagination. Sometimes those ideas ignited the rush for those fictional things.

The union

Now we must not mix fantasy with fiction. Some ideas or tings are total fantasy. Like dragon, mermaid etc. Those things never existed or are misinterpretation of something else. Dinosaur bones were treated as dragon bones in the past. Sighting of sea cows or elephant seal was misunderstood as mermaid. There is a thin line between fantasy and fiction. Fantasy is unachievable through science but science fiction has some truth in it or based on science in most cases. So it may be achieved depends on the advancement of our scientific knowledge and technology.

We can divide sci-fi in three categories.

1.      Fiction of past, realty of present :         In this category we can put Submarine, Aeroplane, Helicopter, Mobile Phone, Video calling etc. These things were fiction when the authors wrote about them but in modern days these are reality.

2.     Fiction of present, reality of near future :         In this category we can put Human colony on other planets, Human evolution through artificial intelligence or in simple word Cyborg, Self aware  self sufficient AI (Now this one can be bad. Just can’t ignore the thought of “Terminator”).

3.     Fiction of present, reality of future is questionable :         In this category we can put time travel, Travelling to another star system (This one can be possible but with our modern technology “No go”), Encounter with alien intelligent life (The distance between two star systems is so vast it is really problematic for them to visit us and existence of wormhole is still in theory) etc.

So, I think science fiction has played and will  play an important role in scientific development  of our species. This is my personal opinion. A common man’s opinion with ordinary brain and ordinary IQ. What is your opinion ?

ISRO will send man to orbit in 2022

If everything goes well ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation) will send a man to orbit in 2022. The name of this mission will be "Gaganyaan". The confirmation came from The Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi himself during his Independence Day speech in Red Fort on 15th August. If it happens successfully, India will be the fourth country in the world after USA, Russia and China to achieve that. This will be a challenge but ISRO is confident.

The man in space is nothing new. Yuri Gagarin was the first man of  former USSR did this long ago (1961). USA followed that With Alan Shepard in the same year. The International Space Station (ISS) is already orbiting earth with crew inside. China successfully sent man in orbit in 2003. Now its time for India.

Why this mission is important for India ? The reason is, this will be an Indigenous mission. The spacecraft, the rocket the crew all will be Indian. Though Indians or people of Indian origins already ventured in space before (Rakesh Sharma, Late Kalpana Chawla, Sunita Williams) but those were all programmed by USA or Russia. This one will be totally Indian mission. If this mission succeeds, it will be a giant leap of confidence and capability for ISRO. That will help its future manned mission to the moon.

The difference between sending an unmanned mission and a manned mission is totally different. Manned mission is much more difficult, complex and fragile. So, lets our fingers crossed and wait for 2022.            

ISRO is going to launch a spcae science channel ISRO TV to reach more people. An effort to be praised

ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation) is going to launch a new satellite for their new space and science channel ISRO TV to reach all corners of India. The goal of this launching is to inform common people about the benefit of space science. They also want to attract children towards this branch of science through this new channel.

This is a brilliant step towards the improvement of Indian space research. If they can inform and make the common people understand why space research is necessary for the bright future of India. It will gain the full support of population in their future space programs. Targeting kids in space research is also a nice step. It will secure and solidify India's future in space research. ISRO is already a renowned space agency in the world by their space programs on moon and mars. They hold the record of launching 104 satellites in space by one launch. So, this recent step will boost up the human resource supply for the future.

Space is the new frontier for mankind. In modern era not only government space agencies but private space agencies like SPACE X and Blue Horizon are also competing. So, the competition is already tight. To compete with other big players like USA, Russia, EU, China and Japan, India must concentrate on improving its space agency in a continuous way. Thankfully the wind is blowing on the right direction.   

      

Cultural Influence of Ancient India on South-East Asia

India had influence on South East Asian countries from the ancient time. Indian culture was greatly adopted by many countries in past and the range was beyond the sub-continent, we can see that on Indonesia, Cambodia, Myanmar, Thailand, Malaysia etc. So when did it start ??

It started when "Aryans" invaded India in ancient time. They slowly conquered the North India and started invading South India.  If we go through the Hindu texts and epics of that time we can see that ancient Indians were aware about South East Asia from the beginning of Aryan conquest.

In the later stages trade of India flourished with these countries and through that the cultural influence started spreading. Hinduism spread in these areas and we could see new Hindu kingdoms emerging in these countries. the effect on art and culture could be seen on the Hindu temples built at that time. Angkor Wat was built in 12th century in Cambodia. We can find Hindus around Indonesia specially in Bali still now and the culture is almost same with Indians.

When Buddhism became one of the main religion in India it also started spreading and it got emperors or rulers as its patron. Like we know Ashoka the Great of Mauryan empire played a major role in spreading Buddhism in Sri Lanka. In this period it flourished and reached all South East Asian countries including China, Korea and Japan.

We can see this influence still exists in modern day. Like you can see a statue of Arjuna and Krishna in Jakarta, Indonesia. Indonesia also named their national airlines as Garuda (God of birds from Hindu mythology) Airlines. The Buddhism is still one of the main religion in South East Asia. So, It is clear Indians have an ancient bonding with these countries and the people of these regions share a positive idea about each other.    

One India Concept : Colonial Blessing ?

  "India" The land of an ancient civilization with unique and rich culture. India started its journey as Indus Valley Civilization almost 5000 years ago. That time the united India concept was a dream. None ever thought or cared for that. That time India was full with small "Janapada" or city states. Every region had its own city state. A true empire did not exist until Magadha kingdom became strong and started conquering the neighbouring kingdoms. When Alexander the great invaded India, Magadha was already an empire under Nanda dynasty. After that Chandragupta Maurya founded the Mauryan empire centered in Magadha. Under Mauryans India became almost one (Only a few kingdoms in South India were left).

After that we had to wait for Mughals to unite India under their rule and they also almost succeeded to do that. After the fall of Mughal Empire India was still divided in regional powers. Then came the British East India Company in the scenario.

Britain was most successful and strongest colonial power at that time. There was a phrase "Sun never sets in British Empire" and it was true. They founded the empire all around the globe. India was the crowned jewel of their empire and they did which the others couldn't do. They gave Indians the one India dream. The other empires never gave Indians that unity which under British rule flourished. Under Mauryans or Mughals the regional powers always tried to break away from it in continous struggle. We can see that with all empires. When empire was strong these problems didn't arise but those were always beneath the surface. Whenever the empire became weak, these problems rose again and empire collapsed. That also happened with Mauryans and Mughals but not in this British empire in India. The regional powers were subdued in British rule and when the movements against British rule started the whole scenario changed. The struggle didn't start for any regional freedom but for the whole India. Here I must say Indian National Congress party and Mahatma Gandhi played a key role in favour of that one India dream. The movements for independence was for whole Indian Sub Continent and ultimately on 1947 India got its independence as a nation. Though British played their last card by dividing India into two nations on basis of religion but still the nation we have today as India was their doing. 

Why this one India concept succeeded under British rule is not clear but there may be some key factors. Such as :

1. Whenever outside forces invaded India they settled there and later mixed up with the people and became one of them. So, It was clear Indians didn't like to be ruled by other Indians but when the invader was totally outsider they started uniting themselves to oppose the outsider. Though this idea generally not true because if that happened then neither Alexander nor the Muslim rulers of Afghanistan could succeed to invade India but in case of British they actually never settled or mixed up with the population here. They treated India as their colony because they were colonial power and never mixed up with Indian tradition or culture. They were outsider and remained an outsider till the end of their rule. So, maybe this was the key factor which helped one India concept greatly.

2.  Indian National Congress and Mahatma Gandhi were another influential factor of this concept building. Both spoke and supported this concept from the beginning of their movement for independence. Which influenced people to rally for this dream.  

3. Technology played a part in this concept also. Telegraph, railroads all bound India strongly. At the days before railroads introduced in India only traders traveled from one region to other region for trade not the common people. With introduction of railroad common people could also travel from one region to other region in search for jobs and settled there. This way a cosmopolitan society built up in every regional capital. So, we are all Indians and we need our own country, this concept grew.

So, in my opinion, though colonization is horrible for the native people but sometimes or I may say only this time it played the key role to form this one India concept. "In oppression comes unity", heard that phrase somewhere. It seemed that phrase became true in this case. The British rule was bad in all aspects except this thing. That helped Indians to become a true Indian and build their own country united and strong.