23.439281

 

 

 

 

"Live in each season as it passes; breathe the air, drink the drink, taste the fruit, and resign yourself to the influence of the Earth..."

Henry David Thoreau

Walden

If the number 23.439281 is not one of your favorite numbers, it should be. It is one of my favorite numbers. In fact this time of year, it is by far and away my favorite number. Why? It is the precise tilt of the Earth. Without that tilt, I would not be writing this and you would not be reading it. None of would be here.

When I took Astronomy at the University of Minnesota almost 40 years ago, my professor admitted that science did not know why the Earth tilted at that exact number. They did know this however - that exact number is perfect for our change in seasons. No season too harsh, one way or the other. I know - after this winter, that subject is up for debate!

So what caused this tilt, which keeps our big blue marble as perfect as it is? Many scientists believe it is from when our solar system was forming. Besides the major planets which still reside in our solar system, there were also numerous protoplanets floating around. It is thought during the game of cosmic billiards, one of these protoplanets smacked into Mother Earth, at the right time and in the right place. Even the most secular of scientists give a "Huh?" on this one.

So here we sit, in the middle of the cosmos, living with the most perfect of all "Goldilocks" conditions. Our molten core is just perfect (as far as spin and density) to protect us from the sun's deadly rays; our Moon is at a perfect distance to affect our tides and gravity in the right way, and as I have said....the tilt is dead perfect. Plus (as a bonus), we are almost a dead perfect distance from our sun.

So for the next few days, when you are outside rushing the season (as I have been), think about our favorite number. For without that number, there would be no rushing the season, as there would be no seasons to rush.