Amazing Blue Marble

Lunar Earth View

GARDEN PLANET

Humans, egotists that we are, make much of us -- our evolution. There are some things almost as remarkable, happening in the background that we take for granted. We’ve given so much focus to the actors, we’ve paid no attention to the stage itself. And what a remarkable stage it is. Here are some factors that make this planet so unusual, in ways unusually good for life:

 We have a binary planet system – with a satellite moon a third as large as Earth
 The moon gives us ocean tides which contribute to tectonic plate shift and continental drift
 The preceding gives us continents, which give us land life
 The moon also helps to give Earth a 24 hour rotation period, evening the temperature and creating diurnal living systems
 Relative constant temperature, averaging @ 70 degrees, and a moderate 1 atmosphere of pressure
 Enough volcanic activity to initially create a thick atmosphere, which itself long ago condensed into a life-giving saltwater ocean that now covers 75% of the planet.
 A strong magnetosphere - blocks solar wind, helps contain the atmosphere
 80% Nitrogen/ 20% oxygen atmosphere that sustains plant and animal life
 Mountain formations, that give us a fresh water cycle
 Clouds which distribute water and block UV rays
 Deciduous trees, whose discarded leaves provide a natural fertilizer, top soil and blanket warmth for winter seasons

And there are many other things beyond what’s listed here – things we take for granted. Life processes affect some of these things – such as air composition and topsoil conditions. But several of the above phenomena preceded the appearance of life on Earth – moon, oceans, magnetosphere. Other things are independent of life processes, but greatly influence life’s evolution – such as land mass formation and fresh water cycles. It’s almost as if the planet were specially designed with life in mind. In fact, the happy circumstances that led to this are unlikely to happen by accident, or even at all.

A HAPPY ACCIDENT?

Believe in constructive accidents if you want, but my own intuition is that design was more a factor than good fortune. The early Earth was an identical twin to Venus as it is now – a nasty cauldron of high-pressure heat. The conditions leading to life were as unlikely in one setting as the other. But Earth became the amazing, blue marble while Venus continues to boil. If you believe in intelligent design, it’s not a much further step to say that God designed life’s setting as well as life itself.

An inspiration for this article is “The Ages of Gaia” by James Lovelock. His take is that the Earth is itself like an organism, but one that came about by a throw of the dice. I myself see a more direct intelligence involved, but people who have a more agnostic or Darwinian approach may find Lovelock’s book an excellent read. Whatever the case, Earth is amazing. This gorgeous planet came about – somehow – and its mysteries are as profound as the mysteries surrounding the animals and humans that now populate it.