Stardust
Hey Jack! Why do you keep blogging about astrophysics?
Are you a secret Brian Cox wannabe?
Are you actually a physics teacher and not a close up magician?
Is it because after 18 months of enforced inward self reflection, blogging about the expanses of the cosmos helps regain perspective in these confused times?
Do you just like space?
Do you see parallels between the disbelief that magic brings and the genuine awe and wonder one experiences from studying cosmology?
Or is it that you haven’t done any magic gigs in ages and haven’t got any witty anecdotes to blog about?
Anyhoo readers, enough speculation. Let’s get on with the blog.
Today’s astrophysics topic is “Stardust” – allow me to begin…
You know how massive stars burn blue, are ferociously hot, live short fast lives and explode in an unbelievably powerful supernova, disappearing into an infinitesimally small singularity, a tear in space-time aka a black hole? You didn’t? Well, you do now.
What you may not realise is that the intense heat of a supernova is the only place in the universe (the entire freaking universe) hot enough to fuse together the atoms of heavy elements?
And because our solar system contains heavy elements they must have come from a supernova – the final extravagant blow out of a hot blue star.
And because you are part of this solar system, it means that every atom in your body (every single freaking atom) came from an exploding star.
In other words, you are stardust my friend. Freaking stardust.
I know what you’re thinking. This affects my life exactly how Jack?
Knowing you’re made of stardust can be great. Think about it…
Maybe you buy some camouflage trousers, put them down somewhere and then just can’t find them. Instead of thinking, “what a dipshit”, just remember that you’re made of stardust, and lost pants don’t seem so bad.
Perhaps you just got piss poor exam results. Don’t despair. You’re stardust and no one can take that away from you.
Feel foolish because you were hanging upside down from gymnastic rings in your garage and you pulled one of the hooks from the ceiling and twatted yourself on the head? It all fades into triviality when you remember where you came from (a star in case you’d forgotten)
Perhaps you’ve practiced a magic trick for months: a feat of dexterity and misdirection that only a handful of magicians can master. Then on it’s debut performance, some smart arse kid chirps up, “I know how that’s done”? Don’t plot to knock a table of drinks over him in your frustration. Just remember that you, him, the cards and everything else in the entire wedding reception were forged in the 100 billion degree heat of a supernova and the rage will soon subside.
And there ends the blog.
You’ll be pleased to know that I’ve got some gigs coming up – so should soon be able to return to the usual blogging topics of pished wedding guests, comedic moments of astonishment and the hilarious adventures of magicianning.
In the meantime, remember that you’re made of stardust.