Hubble Thoughts: Upper School Students

Upper School science students were asked to watch this video of images taken by the Hubble Telescope. As they watched, they were tasked with the following:

As you watch, pay attention to what you are thinking and how you feel about this experience with the universe. Take notes, journal, sketch, write a song or poetry or express yourself in whatever way helps you capture what you are thinking and feeling as you watch the film. Then post some of these thoughts (how did it make you feel) or your notes, poems, artwork, to the Hubble Discussion.

Here is a sampling of answers from our students. We wanted to share their thoughts to give you a glimpse of what ideas and discussions happen among our students in the classroom! 

Daniel - This video really shows how much is still yet to be discovered, the colors are magnificent and there are so many stars, it is hard not to be awestruck with amazement. God’s creation is truly beautiful.

Margo - While watching the video I could notice myself getting much calmer, slower breathing, and just becoming peaceful. It was so neat to see the all the beauty up close that we can’t see normally. After watching it, it made me think about how I’m going to start to look closer at things I see and see what they’re made of.

Evelyn - While watching this video, I became completely relaxed. I felt as though I was almost part of the video; disconnected from everything around me. When it ended, I took a few minutes to reflect on everything I had just watched. I felt incredibly small, compared to our great universe. I also realized how beautiful our universe is and how grateful I should be to God for gifting us with it.

Zucy - While watching this video, I went emotionless, not in a bad way, just that I didn’t know what else was coming next. In a 10 minute video it captures how beautiful our universe actually is and the amazing gift God has given us. It felt as if I was I was floating in the universe and the music added that suspension.

Halle - The video showed me how small our world truly is in comparison to everything. There is so much beyond what we see in our everyday life. I enjoyed watching as seemingly empty spaces became colorful and glowing as they were closer. Photos that are taken make these images seem like paintings, but seeing them in a video had a different and more incredible effect.

Jack - While I was watching the video I felt more and more relaxed as it went on. When the video had ended and I stood up to go outside, I felt like earth’s gravity was not pulling me down as much. Almost as if I was walking on thin air.

Sofia - Watching this made me feel so small because it reminded me that these planets, asteroids, and stars are all out there, floating endlessly in space even if we can’t see them. I was surprised by the beauty of seeing the planets up close and how some even looked like they were from a different universe. Especially now in quarantine we only see so much and to know that there is that much other worldly stuff out there is truly eye opening and amazing.

Benjamin - For me, the biggest thing I latched onto is that even with the insane scale of our universe, and how insignificant we can feel, we’re still the only life we know about. Even with all those stars, universes, and galaxies, we are the only life inside all of that. The next thing that hit me is time. We are the only life in this time, but in another billion years or so, there might be life somewhere else, we’re just lucky enough to be alive right now.

Mayah - Sometimes darkness is calming. And sometimes the unknown is intriguing. It’s eye opening and beautiful to watch this. It’s a whole new perspective and I absolutely love it. Very amazing.

Lars - This video made me feel and awe and wonder of God’s creation. He made this whole universe out of nothing, and the beauty of space shows how incredible his work can be.

Ellie - The video made me think about how small and insignificant the earth and everything on it is, and yet how much complexity there is to it. There are nearly infinite worlds beyond our own to explore, and each planet is different in its own way, yet we still have things to discover about the smallest particles and the smallest details on our earth. Space has always interested me but this video reminded me of how much we haven’t encountered yet. I think it would be really cool if humans could learn to put our differences aside and be able to work as one unit to explore more of our galaxy and beyond.

Gabe - The video made me wonder at how the God who created all that, can care about a rebellious human like me.

Clara - Watching this video was very calming and relaxing for me. Sometimes I forget that there is so much more out there that we don't know about and that is truly amazing to think about. 

Ireland - Throughout the whole video, I felt like the time flew from the video and that I was at complete peace. Seeing the planets made me feel very small, but also made me feel like everyone on this earth was here for a purpose.

Grace - While watching this video, I felt very small. It’s weird to think how big our universe is compared to us. Also, I gained a new appreciation for our beautiful and extremely complex surroundings. This video helped put into perspective what a miracle it is that Earth perfectly supports us.