One of the greatest of all cosmic perspectives that exist
is the revelation that emerged mid 20th century,
that the atoms of our body are traceable
to the crucibles in the center of stars…
that then later exploded
scattering that enrichment
into pristine gas clouds…
that then formed
star systems with planets -
one of which was the sun with earth.
So that we are not simply in this universe
the universe is alive within us.
That is a gift of modern astrophysics to civilization
that borders on the spiritual.
So that when you stand out in the night sky and look up
do you say I’m small and the universe is big.
You might say that and it is true,
but the bigger fact than that is
you are made of the same ingredients as those stars.
We are not just poetically, we are literally stardust
that achieve consciousness to contemplate the
extent of the universe in which we live.
Neil deGrasse Tyson
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