Three Steps To The Universe

If scientists can’t touch the Sun, how do they know what it’s made of? And if we can’t see black holes, how can we be confident they exist? Gravitational physicist David Garfinkle and his brother, science fiction writer Richard Garfinkle, tackle these questions and more in Three Steps to the Universe, a tour through some of the most complex phenomena in the cosmos and an accessible exploration of how scientists acquire knowledge about the universe through observation, indirect detection, and theory. The authors begin by inviting readers to step away from the Earth and reconsider our Sun. What we can directly observe of this star is limited to its surface, but with the advent of telescopes and spectroscopy, scientists know more than ever about its physical characteristics, origins, and projected lifetime. From the Sun, the authors journey further out into space to explore black holes. The Garfinkle brothers explain that our understanding of these astronomical oddities began in theory, and growing mathematical and physical evidence has unexpectedly supported it. From black holes, the authors lead us further into the unknown, to the dark matter and energy that pervade our universe, where science teeters on the edge of theory and discovery. Returning from the depths of space, the final section of the book brings the reader back down to Earth for a final look at the practice of science, ending with a practical guide to discerning real science from pseudoscience among the cacophony of print and online scientific sources. Three Steps to the Universe will reward anyone interested in learning more about the universe around us and shows how scientists uncover its mysteries.

**This is the chapter slice "Gravity" from the full lesson plan "Galaxies & The Universe"** Get the big picture about Galaxies and our Universe. From the smallest particles of matter to the biggest star system, our universe is made up of all things that exist in space. Our resource takes you through the Milky Way Galaxy, Black Holes and Gravity, then on to Nebulae, Sources of Light and the Speed of Light, and finally to Quasars, the most distant objects in the universe. Written using simplified language and vocabulary, our resource presents science concepts in a way that makes them accessible to students and easier to understand. Comprised of reading passages, student activities for before and after reading, hands-on activities, and color mini posters, our resource can be used effectively for test prep, whole-class, small group and independent work. All of our content is aligned to your State Standards and are written to Bloom's Taxonomy and STEM initiatives.

The Solitary Ray, shooting like a falling star through the planes of Non-being into the First World of Being, the Noumenal World of Truth, gives birth to the Ideal Triangle, before withdrawing whence it had come. The Solitary Ray is the Pythagorean Monad. It strides through the Seven Regions of the Universe in three steps: First Logos, The One. Second Logos, The One made Three, concreting into Third Logos, where the Three live within The One, thus making up the Perfect Square in heaven — and a Cube on earth. Terrestrial number 2 is useless and unlucky. Twin serpents conceal the One from the many. The Seven Rays of Logos, 3 + 4, are Three Principles + Four Vehicles on the material plane. They vivify Seven Worlds of Being, symbolised by the Ladder, as follows: Absolute, Archetypal, Spiritual, Manasic, Psychic, Astral, and Elemental. The Earth is no World.

The Sanskrit Puranas and epics are replete with stories of the avatars, incarnations of the god Visnu in various forms to rid the universe of malevolent forces and to restore the proper cosmic balance. As Narasimha, half-man half-lion, Visnu finds a loophole in the pact of invulnerability the demon Hiranaipu has received from god Brahma, and rends the demon apart with his claws. As the brahmin dwarf, Vamana, Visnu deceives the demon Bali with his diminutive appearance and thwarts Bali's attempt to gain universal sovereignty. After carefully analyzing the myths of Vamana and Narasimha, Deborah Soifer grounds her study in the textual history of each avatar and its myth, in their religious contexts, and in the intricate cosmology of the classical period of Hinduism. Contrasting the bestial persona of Narasimha with Vamana's priestly appearance and his associations with early cosmologic themes, she finds complementarity and significance in this pair as they are viewed in the larger context of periodic cosmic destructions and recreations. While focusing primarily on these two mythological figures, Soifer's work explores the relationship between dharma and the 'devious' acts of gods; the interplay between cosmic and 'sociocosmic' levels of reality; and the relationship between cosmology, theology, and soteriology in a religious worldview.