Sunday, February 26, 2012
Sun, Moon and Stars

Sun Moon Stars

There are plenty of glittering and glowing things in the galaxy. The Sun, Moon, and stars would be the ones we’re most familiar with. They were always out there in the galaxy, but how much do we know about them?

First, let’s have a look at the Sun---

Do you know that the Sun is actually an ordinary star? It may appear larger than all the other stars because the Sun is much more closer to the Earth compared to the rest. The second nearest star is 270 thousand times the distance between the Earth and the Sun. This is why stars look tiny.

The Sun’s been providing light and heat to Earth all this while. With the existence of the Sun, plants are able of carrying out photosynthesis. Most plants have green leaves because they contain Chlorophyll. The Chlorophyll merges minerals for the plant as food with the help of sunlight. This is the process named Photosynthesis. According to calculation, all the green plants on Earth could produce a total amount of 4 billion tonnes of protein, carbohydrate and fats all together! In the same time, they releases 5 billion tonnes of oxygen to support lives of animals and mankind.

This way, the Sun appeared to be a very important star to mankind. Every living organism depends on the Sun. Without the Sun, there couldn’t possibly be any sign of life. The Sun’s provided warmth and light to us. It causes changes of time, like day and night, and also the seasons as well. The Sun has provided source of energy.

That’s incredible! Isn’t it great to have the Sun!?


Well, what about the Moon then? Why can’t we see the moon in daytime?

The Moon is actually a natural satellite surrounding the Earth. It ages about 46 billion of years. It’s the only natural satellite we’ve got. It also happens to be the nearest object to the Earth. The distance between the Earth and the Moon is about 384,400 thousand meter.

As the Moon orbits around the Earth, things change. Moon does not glow, actually. It was just reflecting the Sun’s light. The Moon appears to be “full” only when it was fully reflecting the sunlight. This is what we usually call a “full moon”. Like the Earth, the Moon has its dark side where sunlight hasn’t shined on. This creates the phases of the Moon. But be aware that the dark area of the moon does not exist because Earth had blocked the sunlight. When the Earth had blocked the sunlight from the Moon, it is a phenomenon called “Moon Eclipse”.

Because the Moon has its own gravity, it is able of causing some changes to Earth when it gets nearer. At night, the sea water level rises because the Moon’s gravity’s been attracting them. We might not be able to see the Moon in daytime because the sunlight’s been blocking it. After all, the Sun’s light is more powerful than the Moon’s reflected light.


What about the rest of the Stars??

Among the stars we see at night, some of them are the other planets of our solar system. They include Venus, Mercury and Mars. These planets reflected the sunlight similarly like the Moon, hence, making them glow in the dark galaxy. The other stars could glow like the Sun because they work the same way. They glow when there is a conversion process from Hydrogen to Helium. These gases burn into fire and release heat, light and energy. Stars from far away might appear to be gentle and quiet, but they’re actually bursting in a temperature very much higher than the Sun. We could not notice it because they’re far away from us.


Postscript:

The Sun, Moon and stars might be objects that are far away from us, but they’re always link to us.

For example, we might hear someone say “I want to be as bright and cheerful as the Sun”. But what does it actually mean?

Being in a thunderstorm is sure to sadden us, but as the Sun appears again, it seems to have brought hope and warmth to the people. If we’re lost in a cave, we’d follow the sunlight’s direction either. We do not fear when there’s Sun because we know it’s always been smiling upon us. It hasn’t been a day where the Sun doesn’t show up. Shouldn’t we be the ones who bring hope, joy and courage to the people around us like the Sun? Especially towards our beloved Future Divisions. We must ensure that they always live with hope! “Hope, courage, friendship”. This is the treasure our mentor’s given to our Future Divisions. We must let all of them have such a valuable gift!

Well what about the Moon that’s reflecting the Sun’s light then?

When the Sun wasn’t able to play its role at night, the Moon would be the one to provide us light. With the faint light, we’re able to see where we’re walking at night. To contribute silently is the Moon’s image. We must support our Future Divisions from their back like the Moon does. Even Ikeda Sensei’s been doing that. Sensei had given his greatest effort in encouraging our Future Divisions by writing guidance and stories. There’s a phrase I personally favoured in the Kiboo Kotekitai, “As bright as the Sun, as pure as the Moon”. This phrase represents the spirit of Kiboo Kotekitai. But not only members of the Kiboo Kotekitai should have such spirit, but all of us! Junior Division’s PICs. We must have the personality to care, support and encourage our Future Divisions. This reminded me of Ikeda Sensei being touched by Toda Sensei’s character. If we could do this, our Juniors will then be enlightened.

The stars are pretty in the night sky. But their size may not be what we could see. Looking at the glittering stars from Earth, it reminds me of our beloved Future Divisions. They’re the joyful ones full of dreams and ambitions. In addition, we may never be able to estimate their potential. This is the similarities between the stars and our innocent Future Divisions. However, the stars may sometimes be lost. This time, we must be the ‘Moon’ that guides them, the one who cares for them.

There was a little girl who’d wished to explore more about the galaxy. Ikeda Sensei mystically explained some theories with the example of galaxy. He said “Our heads are round, then our hair would be like the numerous stars. Our eyes would be the Sun and the Moon. The closing and opening of our eyes is like day and night. Then, the eyebrow would be the Big Dipper (a pattern of 7 stars). Our breath would be the wind within the valley. 12 of our major joints would be each day of the year. And the arteries and veins within our body are like rivers. The large ones would be a wide river, and the small capillaries would be small streams.”

Ikeda Sensei said that the Buddhism is like our very own galaxy. There is a big palace in our life, and faith is there because there’s a need to enter the palace.

Other than that, Soka University of Japan succeeded in launching their man-made satellite to the space! Congratulations! According to the Japan’s Aerospace Exploration Agency, this Ultra-micro satellite’s orbited Earth for a round. Such an amazing work! This has been the Soka University students’ great achievement. They’re on their way to realizing dreams and ambitions!

Lastly, I’d like to share a YWD’s song to all of you. It’s named ‘Youth’s Glory’. There’s a phrase in the lyrics that says “Sun Stars Moon, break through the gloomy darkness!” We must become Suns, Moons, and Stars that break through all darkness! Strive vigorously!



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Written at 7:06 PM by Paper Pilot.