Light and Dark

Light is life. The Sun is one star among a continuous and distinctive band of stars called the main sequence. Carl Sagan reminds us that when we look up at the night sky, each shinning star light is generated by nuclear fusion.

Fusion powers the stars.

Regions of star formation. Carina Nebula, the Eagle Nebula, and IC 2944.
source: ESO

The Sun like other stars, generates energy in its core by fusing hydrogen atoms into helium. The dense core of the Sun fuses 620 million metric tons of hydrogen per second.

The Sun gives us light. As it happens, light is a precious commodity.

...astronomers have been forced to confront the possibility that most of the universe is invisible, and that all the glittering chains of galaxies are no more substantial, no more reliable guides to physical reality, than greasepaint on the face of a clown.
― Dennis Overbye

Atoms are the stuff of stars and of starlight. Yet as chance would have it, atoms constitute a mere 5% of the universe by weight. Some 20% of the universe is made up of mysterious invisible particles called dark matter. An unknown form of energy called dark energy constitutes the remaining 70% of the universe.

Arctic light

Frank Olsen

“let me die
from having been drunk on
indigo skies, my liver...
overflowing with stars.”
― Sanober Khan

REFERENCES

• Cosmos, by Carl Sagan, Random House, 1980.
• Stalking the Shadow Universe, by Dennis Overbye, New York Times, 16 July 2014.
• Turquoise Silence, by Sanober Khan, Cyberwit, 2015.