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NU.nl writes a lot about astronomical discoveries, cosmic phenomena and other space news. These items are popular. But readers often ask us why this news is important or “interesting”. We explain this to you in this article.
Een ster die een planeet opslokt. Ruimtevaartorganisatie NASA die uitlegt hoe groot zwarte gaten worden. Een kosmische jet die aan een zwart gat ontsnapt. De James Webb-telescoop die bekende en minder bekende voorwerpen in de ruimte vastlegt. De eerste foto van een zwart gat.
Het zijn allemaal voorbeelden van gebeurtenissen die op onvoorstelbaar grote afstand van de aarde plaatsvinden. Toch hebben ze invloed op ons leven hier, zeggen sterrenkundigen Jochem Baselmans, Lucas Ellerbroek en Vincent Icke. Kosmische fenomenen zijn niet alleen gaaf om te zien, het is ook belangrijk dat we ze begrijpen.
“Bijna alles van waarde dat we hebben, is een product van de wetenschap”, zegt Icke. “De smartphone was er niet geweest zonder kennis van kwantummechanica. Gps-navigatie hebben we te danken aan de relativiteitstheorie. Dat heeft de wetenschap allemaal min of meer gratis aan de maatschappij geschonken.”
“Ruimteonderzoek heeft stapels spin-offs die in nuttigere context bruikbaar zijn”, vult Baselmans aan. “Onderzoek van NASA heeft geleid tot veel toepassingen in het dagelijkse leven. Zelfs het Super Soaker-waterpistool is ooit bedacht door NASA.”
Ellerbroek: “Mensen denken al snel dat als ontdekkingen niet direct dagelijks nut hebben, ze ook niet belangrijk zijn. Je hoeft je ook niet te verzekeren tegen een exploderende ster. Maar denk alleen al aan het aantal satellieten waar we vandaag op vertrouwen. Het is niet alleen een nut, het is noodzaak.”
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Usefulness for science
Almost everyone has wondered to some extent: Why are we here? Where do we come from? Where are we going? Tough questions, but justified, says Baselmans. “As a scientific method, space exploration is the best way to obtain possible answers to these questions.”
Icke also points to the systematic way in which science deals with “the big questions”. “This is how we discovered that the earth revolves around the sun. Thanks to the systematic approach of science, we have made enormous intellectual progress. As a result, we can better answer these questions and reject explanations who fail.”
According to Ellerbroek, we are gaining important new knowledge through astronomy and space research, such as recent missions to Mars and Jupiter. We also learn more about the planet we live on.
“If we have more examples of other planets and understand them better, we can also understand Earth better. This information could one day be important for our own survival. All knowledge can have unexpected benefits. still don’t know much about But a lot of what we know, we know from space travel.”
0:45“It’s still special when you really see something happen”
Recently we saw for the first time how a star swallowed a planet. According to the three astronomers, this reminds us that the earth is not infinite. “These kinds of events are often a sight away from home for a lot of people. But seeing it happen takes us from theory to practice,” says Baselmans.
“It gives us a glimpse of what’s going to happen to us, even if it’s not five billion years from now. That’s why we’re so busy looking for extraterrestrial life and habitable planets orbiting around it. other stars than our sun.”
Ellerbroek is also enthusiastic about these so-called exoplanets. “It is the fastest growing field of science. It is good proof that knowledge is always on the move. The questions of today are no longer the same as those of the past. If you can see more, you’ll see more.”
“Everyone now knows that a sunset is the result of the earth’s rotation. This knowledge is now very common, but it was groundbreaking,” Icke points out. “Our knowledge has increased enormously, and yet the first experiences remain special, when we actually see them happen.”
Knowledge of the universe makes us insignificant and humble
Baselmans sees science in general and astronomy in particular as a form of reflection and meaning. “Humanity has been searching for answers for at least ten thousand years. The reality of the world and the universe is often beyond our imagination. It makes you feel humble and insignificant. It’s how we come to know better our place in the universe. It gives us knowledge of the world in the broadest sense of the word.”
According to Icke, we shouldn’t underestimate the emotional reasons why people study space. “The sight of the starry sky alone is already very impressive. Knowing the universe puts things into perspective. And precisely because we are such a small planet, we know that we have to be careful with it.”
Ellerbroek fully agrees with his colleagues. “Anyone who has consciously experienced the moon landing remembers where they were at the time. They are landmarks, in our personal lives but also in our development as humanity. It makes us humble and insignificant, but it is encouraging. We can already do well over ten years ago. Think of what we can do in ten years.
Verantwoording
Voor dit artikel sprak NU.nl met drie sterrenkundigen:
Jochem Baselmans
- Bijzonder hoogleraar Experimentele Sterrenkunde (TU Delft)
- Instrumentwetenschapper bij ruimteonderzoeksinstituut SRON
Lucas Ellerbroek
- Onderzoeksdirecteur aardobservatiebedrijf eLEAF
- Voorzitter Koninklijke Nederlandse Vereniging voor Weer- en Sterrenkunde
Vincent Icke
- Hoogleraar Theoretische Sterrenkunde (Universiteit Leiden)
- Bijzonder hoogleraar kosmologie (Universiteit van Amsterdam)
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