SUN AND TECHNOLOGY
...
1543: Nicolaus Copernicus publishes the book ‘De revolutionibus orbium coelestium’ and thereby turns around long-held beliefs, such as geocentrism. Half a century later, Galileo Galilei pointed his telescope at the celestial sky and confirmed that not humans and the planet Earth, but the sun is central to the then known universe. The telescope became an extension of human’s senses, and the way they look at the universe, the sun and themselves has changed ever since.Three centuries later, the Inouye Telescope will collect
more information
about the sun during its first five years of its operation than all the data since Galileo's observations in 1612 combined. Together with the Parker Solar Probe
, this technology will radically change human’s understanding of the sun. Every second this man-made probe flies closer than ever to the surface of the sun, expanding the knowledge of this crucial celestial body with measurements and images ...
- Skin color and the perception of class, gender and race -
...
Late 1970s: the introduction of
the tanning bed
. A sun-tanned skin is now possible all year round. A
fake orange glow
as a sign of health. In sports culture, this artificial sunlight is then coveted by the highly tanned tint that athletes make their muscles look more toned
. Knowledge of the health risks and strict legislation on artificial sunlight caused the popularity of tanning beds to decline - thankfully. Self-tanners, spray tans and distant trips to the sun maintained the perception of the sun tan as a sign of prosperity, health and gender....
- Sun and time -
The relationship between the sun and the earth determines our perception of time. Sundials are ancient objects that reflect this perception of time. The first sundials marked the reciprocal seasons and movement of celestial bodies. Later, they were used for coordination in daily life, such as prayer sessions, meals and social activities . A new sense of time developed during the Middle Ages, driven by emerging international trade,
“time” became “money"
. Today, atomic clocks form the basis for global time standards. Their unprecedented precision, based on atomic vibrations, goes hand in hand with a society under constant time pressure. Natural solar time and our physical biorhythms are often neglected in favor of social time, leading to overwork and a jaded society.- Unpredictable sun -
Although the sun on our horizon seems like a constant, reliable companion, nothing could be further from the truth. September 1859: The Carrington Event
high-tech and satellite communications
- would lead to a global catastrophe. Satellites, servers, communication systems, power plants would become inoperable in an instant. To prevent this, solar activity and space weather are carefully monitored so that action can be taken in time ...
Long-term climate fluctuations on Earth, such as the Medieval Warm Period and the Little Ice Age, are attributed to natural variations in solar activity. Climate skeptics like to point to these data and also argue that current global warming can be attributed to increased solar activity. Although solar activity plays a role in the climate system, it is not sufficient to explain the recent rapid warming. Scientists therefore agree that current global warming is mainly caused by anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions. In the context of climate change,
geoengineering
- the large-scale intervention in Earth's natural systems through techniques and technologies - is being explored as a potential solution. For example, various ways to reduce the sun's irradiance
on Earth and counteract warming by changing the amount of sunlight absorbed or reflected
a in the atmosphere are being explored. ...
- Harvest of sun rays -
The fate of life on Earth depends on cosmic processes. We live not only on Earth, but also in solar space. Man also learned to make clever use of its energy, heat and light. For
drying bricks
, bleaching cloth
and harvesting salt
. From solar architecture
, calendar
and navigation systems
,solar boosters, solar water heaters, to the latest solar cell technology. As humans have slowly depleted the energy resources beneath the earth's crust, energy generated by the sun's rays is becoming an increasingly important resource. With these renewable sources connected to the grid, the answer to the planetary crisis looks like the status quo rather than a radical departure from our comfortable, unlimited energy consumption. Electric cars powered by solar energy, our household and industries powered by the harvest of the solar panels on our roof. The concept of green growth suggests that our economies can continue to grow without limit by simply replacing polluting fossil fuels with renewable energy and environmentally friendly technologies. It is contradictory to believe that the answer to waste, pollution and dwindling resource availability lies in building even more. An illusion we are only too happy to believe because it is not as threatening to the status quo as more radical proposals like degrowth . Even with more efficient production techniques, higher efficiency of solar panels and greater diffusion of technology, the energy transition is not realistic . In addition to harvesting solar energy to provide us with electricity, scientists are working to build our own sun. A nuclear fusion-based solar power plant would potentially provide energy with very little matter, but this technology also has limitations. Although the amount of radioactive waste is smaller than nuclear fission, it remains a challenge. The use of the substance tritium also adds an additional limitation. Scarce resources and knowledge about a crucial technology also brings geopolitical challenges. Finally, the lack of access to this energy can foster great inequality. The realization that materials are not available indefinitely requires an adjustment of our demand and ability to work within the constraints imposed by nature, even with promising renewable technology.