“Imagination will often carry us to worlds that never were, but without it we go nowhere.”
Carl Sagan
Sunday was dedicated to stimulating Jadan’s intellectual powers by inspiring his imagination and creativity during our visit to the Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array in Magdalena, New Mexico. Thanks to a brilliant and engaging tour led by Montana, a doctoral student studying Physics at New Mexico Tech, we had the opportunity to learn in depth the history of the beginning of radio astronomy and the past, present, and future of how this field has evolved, resulting in world-changing discoveries. For example, the radio telescopes detect the cosmic microwave background (CMB) – the direct evidence of the Big Bang – allowing us to peer into the heart of our galaxy, revealing the furious engine within. Especially fascinating was the time we spent walking outside and visiting several interactive displays, as well as the eclectic mix of technology, professions, expertise, and infrastructure that contributes to the success of the VLA.
The white circle demonstrated the size of the dish: 25 meters and 10 stories tall.
At the VLA Sundial Memorial, we were delighted to find a familiar name etched on one of the Gnomon pedestals (non-traditional bases for the massive radio telescopes): Kerr. As we can tell, this was Frank John Kerr, an Australian physicist and astronomer who contributed to our knowledge of the Milky Way.
Jadan became intrigued by a sound sculpture entitled Music of the Spheres. The term comes from Pythagoras’s ancient belief that the universe and all its objects are guided by musical and mathematical principles. In fact, Jadan wrote a short story called Music of the Spheres a few years ago, which was also inspired by Pythagoras’ sentiment.
According to the Baha’i Writings,
“God’s greatest gift to man is that of intellect, or understanding. The understanding is the power by which man acquires his knowledge of the several kingdoms of creation, and of various stages of existence, as well as of much which is invisible.” ‘Abdu’l-Baha, Paris Talks
Abdu’l-Baha further encourages us to use our gift of intellect to contribute to “the advancement of civilization, for the good of humanity, to increase love and concord and peace,” and “to study the sciences, acquire more and more knowledge”.
Studying the universe teaches us more about ourselves. Human beings usher in the light of knowledge through imagination and creative approaches founded on courage. The VLA serves as a beautiful example of how humans are inspired and attracted to the beauty of the stars and heavens and are committed to quenching a deep thirst for knowledge, which helps give us meaning and purpose as a world civilization.
“Somewhere, something incredible is waiting to be known.”
Carl Sagan
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