It’s supposed to look like a giant dipper, but last night it looked more like a question mark. So what is the question? Sometimes questioning what is commonly accepted as true can lead to breakthroughs in understanding. It was once common knowledge that heavy things fell faster than light things. Galileo questioned whether that was really true and dropped “unequal weights of the same material” from a height and found that they hit the ground at exactly the same time. His questioning of the norm followed by experimental observation produced a breakthrough discovery.
Later, his questioning of the works of the solar system based on what he saw through the novel invention known as a telescope nearly led him to personal disaster though he spoke truth. The telescopic observations showed that earth could not possibly be the center of the solar system, which contradicted the contemporary dogma. Fortunately, he narrowly survived the inquisition by the powers of the time and was not burned at the stake. He was, however, placed under house arrest but in time his questioning and observations were vindicated.
Yes, asking the right question at the wrong time can be dangerous, but as the famous physicist Richard Feynman noted: “I would rather have questions that can’t be answered than answers that can’t be questioned.”
#bigdipper #ursamajor #science #question #richardfeynman
Eskildoodle Photos and Feelings 