A piece of the Moon in every house

We live in an information society where the froth of news no longer resists the 24-hour cycles. The endless scrolls seem like a renewal of the myth of Sisyphus.

But in short-sighted times it can help to adopt a cosmic perspective.

Through the lens of astronomy we can be dazzled by the celestial bodies and the phenomena that occur in the universe.

And there are more and more fascinating discoveries. I highlight the recent images of Mars released by the European Space Agency (ESA).

On the ESA website, you can see 3D images of the red planet collected by Mars Express, which has been capturing and exploring the many landscapes of Mars since its launch in 2003. For more than two decades, the probe has been mapping the surface of the planet with unprecedented resolution, in colour and in three dimensions, revealing information that has drastically changed our understanding of our planetary neighbour.

And the universe is a source of inspiration and discernment, even in the most unusual places.

In the recent second volume of his autobiography, Bill Clinton describes an episode that reflects this realignment of priorities. In his book “Citizen,” the former Democratic president recalls an interesting story.

On his first moonwalk, Neil Armstrong collected several moon rocks. One of the pieces of the moon was later dated to be about 3.6 billion years old. When the astronaut visited the White House in 1994 to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the moon landing, Bill Clinton asked if he could temporarily keep the rock until the end of his term.

After the authorization, Clinton placed the piece of moon on the table in the center of the famous Oval Office. Whenever the team’s discussions became heated and some light and perspective were needed, he would interrupt the debates by saying (my free translation): “Wait a minute. Do you see this rock? It’s 3.6 billion years old. We’re just passing through. Let’s calm down and make it happen.”

Therefore, and without ignoring the legitimate difficulties of each day (particularly important for the most fragile), I believe it may help in these times of tension and division to remember Carl Sagan: “The cosmos is within us. We are made of star stuff. We are a way for the universe to know itself.”