Astronomy is a discipline that teaches its practitioners the benefits of moderation. Out of the countless planets orbiting the countless stars in our Universe, the balance between extremes is of enormous consequence for the prospects of life.
Specifically, what is referred to as the "Habitational Zone," or otherwise known more colloquially as the "Goldilocks Zone," is that region around a star's orbit where life is possible. Too close, and the planet's atmosphere literally boils away. Too distant, and the planet's surface becomes a frozen wasteland. Too slow an orbit, and one side desiccates, while the other becomes parched.
And through it all, the inescapable conclusion: that too much of a good thing quickly becomes a bad thing. There must be equilibrium, between light and dark, between hot and cold, and between fire and ice, for life to even so much as have a chance, much less for paradise to be forged.
It is also a lesson which all the world's religions simultaneously preach: that one should stray not to the left, nor to the right, but blaze a path straight down the center. There is a time and purpose for all things under the Sun: for both war and peace, for both scarring and healing, and for both infirmity an wellness. And only from a diversity of feelings and experiences can we as a people find the strength and endurance necessary for survival.
All of this is taught by the study of the night sky. The more humanity gazes at the stars and beyond, the more blessed and fortunate we feel, and the more devoted we become to the preservation of our own small and delicate world.
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