Presently, there has been a boom in social media and other mass media, as a result of which we are able to get any news very easily and within the twinkling of an eye. But it has its negative side or aspect too. On the one hand, there is very good news, while on the other, news items based on rumours and creating a sense of terror are also being circulated. One such news item is that our earth is very soon going to be destroyed as a big-sized asteroid is moving towards earth at a great speed and will collide with it, being dragged by its gravitational force. Such news items are often found to be in circulation in the media. It is essential that a neutral and impartial assessment of such news be made.
Let us first try to know what exactly an asteroid is! Long after the Big Bang explosion almost 4.6 billion years ago, the sun, the planets, and the satellites were born out of a cloud of gas and dust called Solar Nebula. Along with this were created minor planets without being able to take the form of full-fledged planets, which started orbiting between the orbit of Jupiter and the orbit of Mars in space. Although these heavenly bodies move in an orbit around the sun, exceptions and irregularities can be seen in their orbits because of their small size, which also makes them be drawn towards the planets due to their gravitational force. Earlier it was known that since Jupiter is the biggest planet in the solar system with its gravitational force being the highest, it is giving protection to the earth and other planets by dragging the asteroids towards its own surface. But now it is said that Jupiter is creating a problem by dragging these heavenly bodies, thereby disturbing their orbits in the solar system.
With new research, there is change in science theories. This is not something new or unique. At one time, though Pluto was accepted as a planet, now a question mark has been put on it. Whatever it may be, the fact is that the solar system is a magnetic field, and it is not known how many such magnetic fields are there in space! Everything is working as per a system, and nobody can say or predict what will happen at a given moment. No doubt science has made remarkable progress. It is because of this reason that scientists are able to know about the timing and movement of these asteroids and when they are likely to pass by or collide with the earth because of its gravitational pull. Years back, the scientists could know about such an asteroid only after it moved away from the earth. We must not forget that science can hardly have any control over a thing which it has not created. Science will no doubt make remarkable progress in the future. But the way heat and energy are created in the sun by a process, and one day it will lose all its energy and turn into a black hole, science will hardly be able to stop the process or create a new sun. Such a chance is remote. There have been plans by certain countries to create a sun, and there have also been claims for success in this direction, but can it ever be possible to put the new sun in its place so that the earth and other planets move around it? Of course, a sun-like object may be created for heat and energy. But the solar system seems to be irreplaceable and will meet its inevitable end after five billion years as predicted by the scientists. Science can no doubt fathom the mysteries of the universe, but creation or replacement of a natural system such as the solar system seems to be beyond anybody’s ken or power.
Secondly, let us talk about prophecy or future prediction. In the past, things like the calendar of the Maya civilization and a probable ‘Pralaya’ have created a sense of terror in the mind of man. But such prophecies have not come true. Man is not the Supreme Being. He cannot make the exact prophecy, though prophecies may be true or partly true in certain cases. His calculations and predictions may have a strong base and come to be true at times. But it does not seem ever practicable to predict man’s death and the end of the earth precisely.
The end of whatever has been created is inevitable. The sun, the moon, the earth, the planets, the satellites, and the stars—everything will come to an end one day. Light will go out. Darkness will set in. But as per calculations of both mythology and science, the time has not yet come for the end of the earth. It will take five billion years before the sun becomes a black hole and engulfs all the planets and satellites in the solar system. Presently, the sun is in its youth. So there is nothing to worry about now. As far as an asteroid or any other heavenly body striking the earth is concerned, such an incident may occur all of a sudden and at any moment, and we can hardly have any control over it. If at all the end is imminent, it may come at any time. It is not possible to prescribe or fix a date for it. So it is futile to worry about things beyond our control and wise for man, with intelligence and conscience, to lead a righteous and tension-free life.
(The views expressed are the writer’s own)
Mr. Prafulla Kumar Majhi,
Retired Asst. Director, A. I. R, is an eminent Scholar and freelance writer in English & Odia. His areas of interests are sociocultural, economic, literary, historical and analytical studies and writings.
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