Earth is a cosmic time hog. In space it is next to nothing, but in time it extends back through a substantial proportion of the Stelliferous Era, so close to the origin of the universe that it is belongs to the very earliest generations of planetary bodies. Beyond it stretch incomprehensible immensities, but before it there is next to nothing.

. . . is perhaps one of the most insightful and non-derivative points I’ve read in years. What to do with it? God only knows. This thread is a good start. My mind is still reeling. Once again, the discussions in the reacto-sphere are reaching for the stratosphere while my academic colleagues continue to play in the sandbox.

The moon case is also truly strange. I’ve heard it used as an argument for archaic alien activity — as a clear ‘sign’ — which is obviously a leap too far for sensible scientific theorizing, but the coincidence (or improbability) is real and extreme.

For some reason, this reminds me that the moon is exactly the right distance for dramatic eclipses, just in time for civilization. Used to cover the corona too. Soon, it will leave an eye-searing ring. Clearly, biped evolution must be correlated with dramatic astronomical conditions.