Reconsidering the Past and Future of Planet Earth
Though we are bound to our planet and it is often impossible to see beyond our immediate future, few things are striking as an image of Earth as seen from outer space. The fascination with our place in the solar system has been alive ever since the homo sapien began prowling the land and navigating the waters of this tafsir al ahlam unusual planet. At a time when many people say our time on Earth - like the dinosaur's - may be finite, it is interesting to reconsider the past and future of our planet. A Unique and Unusual Terrestrial Planet Considering the lack of life on other planets in our solar system, it is Earth that is the unusual planet of the group. Statistically, there are four planets larger than Earth, which is the third planet from the sun. Most agree that the Earth has existed some 4.5 billion years. While life forms developed over 3 billion years ago, periods of mass extinction have altered the course of the planet dramatically. No single species has ever had a...