Just Where is Here - Anyway?

Imagine standing under a dark late summer sky of the great western plains. You are far from urban light pollution. Above you plays out a cosmic drama. The spectacle ties you to a plains Indian who stood - perhaps - in the same spot 200 years ago and also looked up. To all but the most observant the skies would appear remarkably similar - but there are some subtle differences. We won't explore that just yet however.

The question we wish to address today is - just where are we? What is the relationship of the earth to all this grandeur spreading out like a intricate Navajo rug overhead? Answering this question has become one of humanities most enduring quests and ranks as one of our greatest intellectual achievements. It stands as one of the fundamental animating questions of science and - for people of many faiths - attests to the power and faithfulness of God.