R. J. Davies Author

A Canadian Science Fiction/Horror/Fantasy author and blogger. New blog every Monday and Friday (sometimes there will be special features other days) Follow, Like and Subscribe: Website: http://www.rjdavies.ca 

[rjdavies]

Like a parfait, the Sun has layers.

Earth is inside the Sun’s atmosphere. The sun has layers: the photosphere, the chromosphere, and the corona. The corona extends millions of kilometers into space, and even though we are 150 million km away, Earth lives in it.

That’s why we are affected by solar winds. Charged particles constantly stream outward from the corona and fill the entire solar system. The boundary of the Sun’s influence is called the heliosphere, which extends far beyond Pluto and acts like a giant magnetic shield around the solar system. The solar wind shapes Earth’s space environment, it compresses Earth’s magnetic field and helps create phenomena like auroras when particles interact with our atmosphere.

The Sun’s corona is hotter than its surface; the visible surface is about 5,500°C (fun fact: the Earth’s core is approximately 5,400°C), and the corona can reach millions of degrees.

At the heliosphere’s edge, the solar wind slows down and meets interstellar gas at a region called the heliopause, where the Sun’s atmosphere finally loses dominance.

The space around Earth is filled with solar plasma, not ‘empty  space’, it’s actually a low-density ocean of charged particles from the Sun.

Amazing!

R. J. Davies

A Riveting Jacked-In Dreamy Mind-Bender

RJ Davies - Science Fiction Author, Maddox Files, Novels

[rjdavies]

You are made from Stardust, baby!

We breathe in ancient atoms, matter recycles through stars, planets, and life. Every human is made of ancient cosmic material; the atoms in your body originated in stars billions of years ago. Most atoms in your body (carbon, oxygen, nitrogen and iron) were created inside stars through nuclear fusion long before Earth existed. The hydrogen in you may be older than the sun, hydrogen atoms formed shortly after the Big Bang about 13.8 billion years ago, making some of your atoms nearly as old as the universe itself.

When large stars explode, they scatter newly formed elements into interstellar space, a breeding ground for future planets and life. Elements like calcium in your bones and iron in your blood were produced in ancient supernova explosions. The carbon in your DNA was once inside a star. Carbon is formed through the ‘triple-alpha process’ in stars when helium nuclei fuse under extreme heat and pressure. Space is constantly recycling, gas, dust, stars, planets, and life are part of a cycle where matter is repeatedly destroyed and reformed over billions of years.

You are made from material that comes from multiple generations of stars, most atoms in your body have likely passed through several stars, nebulae, and planetary systems before becoming a part of you.

Food for thought: Earth itself is formed from recycled cosmic debris, the planet formed from leftover material of a previous star system, and everything on Earth, including you, is recycled stardust!

Act like it!

R. J. Davies

A Riveting Jacked-In Dreamy Mind-Bender

RJ Davies - Science Fiction Author, Maddox Files, Novels

[rjdavies]

We Glow!

Even at night with no city lights or moon, our upper atmosphere produces a very faint natural glow and it’s called airglow! Earth is never truly ‘dark’. Airglow is Earth’s night light.

Airglow comes from a chemical reaction high above us, about 80 to 300 km altitude, where oxygen, nitrogen, and hydroxyl molecules release energy as light after being excited by solar radiation during the day.  Hydroxyl (OH) molecules in the upper atmosphere emit red and infrared light, contributing to the reddish tones sometimes seen in airglow images.

Airglow occurs 24/7, we don’t see it during the day because the sunlight is brighter, but the process continues. Oxygen is a major source of the green glow; one of the strongest emissions comes from oxygen atoms producing green light around 557.7 nm wavelength, which is the same colour as some auroras.

Astronauts can see a thin glowing layer encircling Earth like a faint halo around the planet’s edge.

Airglow is not the Northern Lights! Auroras are caused by charged solar particles hitting the atmosphere, while airglow is caused by internal chemical energy released.

Airglow is used to study weather in space, measuring upper-atmosphere winds, temperature shifts, and solar activity effects.

Cool!

R. J. Davies

A Riveting Jacked-In Dreamy Mind-Bender

RJ Davies - Science Fiction Author, Maddox Files, Novels

[rjdavies]

Can Space Warp Human Vision?

Yes, space can warp human vision, in space bodily fluids move towards the head, which can cause facial puffiness and pressure changes that slightly blur or distort vision.

Zero gravity and radiation can affect your vision. Radiation, high-energy particles in space, can create ‘flashes of light’ in an astronaut’s vision, even when their eyes are closed. When cosmic rays pass through the retina or optic nerve, stimulating visual perception without actual light, these flashes are called ‘phosphenes’. Extended exposure to zero gravity can slightly change the structure of the eye, affecting how light is focused. Without a clear ‘up’ or ‘down,’ the brain struggles to interpret spatial relationships, affecting coordination, and depth perception becomes unreliable in microgravity.

Increased pressure in the head may alter how signals are transmitted from the eye to the brain. Astronauts often experience ‘spaceflight-associated neuro-ocular syndrome’ (SANS), a condition that can flatten the eyeball slightly and alter the optic nerve, leading to blurred vision or farsightedness. Some astronauts report visual hallucination-like effects that are usually caused by radiation or neurological responses rather than psychological hallucinations.

When astronauts return to Earth, they experience lingering vision changes for weeks or months after a space mission due to structural eye changes, but vision often improves again after returning to Earth.

R. J. Davies

A Riveting Jacked-In Dreamy Mind-Bender

RJ Davies - Science Fiction Author, Maddox Files, Novels

[rjdavies]

The Milky Way Galaxy

We call it home; the Milky Way has a central bar of stars with spiral arms extending outward like a rotating pinwheel. It is estimated that we have 100 to 400 billion stars, many with their own planetary systems.

At the core of Sagittarius A* lives a supermassive black hole that sits in the center, with a mass about 4 million times that of the Sun. Most large galaxies have a supermassive black hole (SMBH) at their center. Most spiral, elliptical, and active galaxies (quasars and AGNs) have them.

Our Solar System is located about 27,000 light-years from the galactic center, in the Orion Arm.

The Milky Way Galaxy is approximately 100,000 light-years wide. Most of the Milky Way’s mass is invisible dark matter, which affects how fast stars rotate around the galaxy. We can only see a fraction of the Milky Way from Earth; large parts of it are hidden by dust clouds. In about 4-5 billion years, we will collide with the Andromeda Galaxy in a massive galactic collision.

The Milky Way is slowly twisting, due to gravitational interactions which are warping its shape!

I love this!

R. J. Davies

A Riveting Jacked-In Dreamy Mind-Bender

RJ Davies - Science Fiction Author, Maddox Files, Novels

[rjdavies]

Buckle Up!

Stand still, close your eyes, and see if you can feel it? We are moving. We are constantly moving.

The breakdown:

Earth’s rotation – Earth spins once every 23.93 hours, in Northern Ontario (Sault Ste. Marie) we are moving approximately 1150 km/hr, if you were standing at the equator you’d be moving approximately 1,670 km/hr (Eastward).

Earth orbits the sun, surprise! Maybe not, but we are moving around the Sun at approximately 107,000 km/hr.

As if this wasn’t enough! Our Solar System is moving in the Milky Way galaxy, our sun orbits the galactic center at approximately 790,000 km/h (one full orbit takes approximately anywhere between 225 to 250 million years).

And the Milky Way Galaxy is moving too! We are moving through space at approximately 396,000 km/h. Scary science fact: we are speeding towards the Andromeda galaxy region.

We belong to a local group movement, and moving at approximately 2.16 million km/h.

Motion relative to the cosmic microwave background (CMB), Earth (via the Solar System + the Milky Way) is moving at approximately 370 km/s or 1,332,000 km/h.

I love this!

R. J. Davies

A Riveting Jacked-In Dreamy Mind-Bender

RJ Davies - Science Fiction Author, Maddox Files, Novels

[rjdavies]

The Mariana Trench

The Mariana Trench is the deepest part of the ocean; it’s the deepest natural trench on Earth, located in the western Pacific Ocean. The deepest point within it is called the Challenger Deep; it’s the lowest known point, reaching 10,900-11,000 meters below sea level. The pressure exceeds 1,000 times the atmospheric pressure at sea level, which is enough to crush most submarines. If you were to place the tallest mountain, Mount Everest, in the trench, there would still be more than 2 kilometers from the surface.

With extreme pressure, it is the darkest parts of the Earth, no sunlight reaches the deepest zones, making it a permanently black environment, with temperatures just above freezing. Despite these harsh conditions, microbes and amphipods call it home.

Fewer humans have visited the trench than have been in space. Much of the trench remains unmapped in detail. However, the trench contains plastic pollution.

Wow!

R. J. Davies

A Riveting Jacked-In Dreamy Mind-Bender

RJ Davies - Science Fiction Author, Maddox Files, Novels

[rjdavies]

Mass Extinction

Scientists believe that Earth has experienced at least five major mass extinction events where huge percentages of species disappeared in a short geological period.

The first one occurred approximately 444 million years ago with the Ordovician-Silurian Extinction. Massive global cooling and ice ages lowered sea levels dramatically, approximately 85% of marine species went extinct (Trilobites, Brachiopods, Coral-like reef organisms).

The second one occurred approximately 372-359 million years ago, with the Late Devonian Extinction. Around 75% of species disappeared as the extinction occurred over a long period through multiple pulses with ocean oxygen depletion, climate cooling, and volcanic activity, wreaking havoc on ocean ecosystems (Armored fish, reef-building organisms)

The Third one occurred approximately 252 million years ago, with the Permian-Triassic Extinction also known as “The Great Dying”.  Approximately 90-96% of marine species and 70% of land vertebrate species died, and this one is considered the deadliest extinction in Earth’s history, caused by massive volcanic eruptions, extreme global warming, ocean acidification, oxygen loss in oceans, and methane release. Entire ecosystems collapsed worldwide (Trilobites disappeared completely, many insects, amphibians, and marine animals died out).

The fourth one about 201 million years ago, with the Triassic-Jurassic Extinction. Approximately 70-80% of species disappeared, with huge volcanic eruptions, rapid climate change, and rising carbon dioxide levels (large amphibians and many reptiles competing with early dinosaurs).

The fifth one occurred approximately 66 million years ago, called the Cretaceous-Paleogene Extinction. Approximately 75% of the species disappeared, a giant asteroid struck Earth (modern-day Mexico), causing global firestorms, tsunamis, dust blocking the sun, collapse of the food chain.

Fun fact: Dinosaurs existed longer than humans; they walked the earth for approximately 165 million years, and humans approximately 300,000 years, but still counting! Technically, dinosaurs lived on Earth 500 times longer than humans.

Is there a sixth mass extinction coming? Many scientists believe Earth may be entering a sixth mass extinction now, with climate change, habitat loss, pollution, overfishing, deforestation, and invasive species. This one is strongly linked to human activity.

Terrifying!

R. J. Davies

A Riveting Jacked-In Dreamy Mind-Bender

RJ Davies - Science Fiction Author, Maddox Files, Novels

[rjdavies]

The Secret World of the Wood Wide Web

Scientists have confirmed that many trees are linked by mycorrhizal fungi, microscopic fungal threads that attach to plant roots and form underground networks. This network is called Wood Wide Web. Scientists use this nickname because nutrients and chemical signals can move between connected plants.

When attacked by insects or disease, some trees can release chemical signals that may warn nearby plants to activate their defenses. Mature trees can sometimes transfer nutrients to seedlings through fungal connections. Trees provide fungi with sugars made through photosynthesis. Fungi help trees absorb water and minerals like phosphorus and nitrogen. Scientists have observed forests sharing resources during stress; they have observed carbon, water, and nutrients moving through fungal networks between plants under certain conditions.

Underground fungal systems can connect different plants and trees within forests. Mycorrhizal fungi are essential; without them, many forests would struggle to grow because trees would absorb the nutrients needed less efficiently. It’s good to note that some fungal organisms are among the largest living things on Earth, spreading for kilometers beneath forests.

Incredible!

R. J. Davies

A Riveting Jacked-In Dreamy Mind-Bender

RJ Davies - Science Fiction Author, Maddox Files, Novels

[rjdavies]

Could we be losing coastlines?

Global sea levels are rising, and they have significantly risen since the late 1800s due to melting glaciers, ice sheets, and warming oceans due to global warming. The oceans are heating up, and seawater expands; this is called thermal expansion.

We could see parts of coastal cities submerged in water, and they may become uninhabitable within this century due to flooding.

Some scientists think parts of coastal cities may become uninhabitable within this century due to flooding. Some indicators we can see are hurricanes and cyclones pushing the ocean water inland, cities that sit near sea level are more susceptible to these storms and the water damage that comes with it.

Cities that are vulnerable in Asia (Jakarta, Bangkok, Shanghai, Mumbai, and Ho Chi Minh City),  Europe (Venice, Amsterdam,  and London), Africa (Lagos and Alexandria), South America (Rio de Janeiro and Buenos Aires), USA (Miami, New Orleans, New York City, and Norfolk),  and Canada (Halifax, Charlottetown, St. John’s, Moncton, Vancouver, Victoria, Montreal, Quebec City, Iqaluit, and Tuktoyaktuk), these cities will lose some of their coastlines as this happens.

How does this affect the Great Lakes?  Cities near the Great Lakes, such as Toronto and Sault Ste. Marie are general less threatened by sea-level rising, but might face stronger storms, shoreline erosion, flooding from extreme rainfall, and changing lake water levels.

So sad,

R. J. Davies

A Riveting Jacked-In Dreamy Mind-Bender

RJ Davies - Science Fiction Author, Maddox Files, Novels

[rjdavies]

So Dusty

Space dust is everywhere, and Earth is constantly being bombarded by tiny meteors daily. It’s estimated that 40 to 100 tons of space dust falls onto the planet every day. The majority are tiny grains smaller than sand particles.

Most of the space dust comes from debris left behind by comets and collisions between asteroids. Earth’s gravity acts like a giant vacuum, with our gravity pulling in dust and particles as we move through space. Most of this dust burns up in Earth’s atmosphere, vaporizing before reaching the ground. Some of this space dust is older than Earth.

Antarctica is one of the best places for scientists to find these micrometeorites; the dark space particles stand out against the clean ice and snow, which is easier for collection. Food for thought, you may have some cosmic dust on your roof or lawn.

Interesting!

R. J. Davies

A Riveting Jacked-In Dreamy Mind-Bender

RJ Davies - Science Fiction Author, Maddox Files, Novels

[rjdavies]

Colour Earth Purple

Scientists believe Earth’s surface may have appeared purple instead of the pretty blue ocean blue we see from space now.

The Purple Earth Hypothesis suggests that billions of years ago, before the evolution of chlorophyll-based plants, Earth’s ancient oceans and coastlines were dominated by simple microbes that used a purple pigment called retinal to harvest sunlight. This is before dinosaurs existed.

Scientists suggest the purple biosphere existed in the Archean eon approximately 3.5 to 2.4 billion years ago.

It is believed that the Archean eon was when the first life evolved in the oceans, single-celled bacteria. Tectonic plates began in this era as well.

The Archean Eon is part of the Precambrian Time, which spans 4.6 billion to 541 million Years ago. The first stage of Earth’s evolution began in the Hadean Eon (4.6-4.0 billion years ago) – this is when Earth took formation through molten and heavy asteroid attacks, and the formation of the oceans. Then the Archean Eon, which is 4.0-2.5 billion years ago, followed by the Proterozoic Eon, consisting of 2.5 billion – 541 million years ago, and includes: early continents forming, oxygen rising, and an ice age.

Wow!

R. J. Davies

A Riveting Jacked-In Dreamy Mind-Bender

RJ Davies - Science Fiction Author, Maddox Files, Novels

[rjdavies]

Earth’s Oxygen Facts

The Earth’s atmosphere is about 21% oxygen. The atmosphere is made mostly of nitrogen (roughly 78%). The balance is crucial for complex life.

We think we get most of our oxygen from the forest and plants, but we actually get most of our oxygen from the ocean. Tiny marine organisms called phytoplankton produce an est. 50-80% of Earth’s oxygen is produced through photosynthesis.

In the early Earth era, billions of years ago, Earth’s atmosphere had very little oxygen. Around 2.4 billion years ago, photosynthetic microbes began releasing large amounts of oxygen, altering Earth’s atmosphere.  Many ancient anaerobic organisms died because oxygen was poisonous to them.

During the Carboniferous period, it’s theorized that oxygen levels may have reached around 30-35%, an interesting fact, higher oxygen helped giant insects evolve.

We humans cannot survive breathing pure oxygen long-term; too much can damage lungs, eyes, and our nervous system. Pure oxygen becomes toxic over time.

Earth’s oxygen won’t last forever and is currently losing its atmospheric oxygen at a rate of 4 parts per million per year, which amounts to losing just one oxygen molecule for every roughly 4.8 million air molecules.

Interesting!

R. J. Davies

A Riveting Jacked-In Dreamy Mind-Bender

RJ Davies - Science Fiction Author, Maddox Files, Novels

[rjdavies]

Earth’s Magnetic Fields Can Flip

Not to panic, this has happened to Earth in the past, where the south pole becomes the north pole and vice versa.

In fact, scientists suggest this process has occurred more than 500 times over the past 170 million years. The last major magnetic flip occurred approximately 780,000 years ago. They occur irregularly with gaps ranging from 10 thousand to 10s of millions of years.

Earth has two North Poles: the geographic pole, the fixed axis of the planet’s rotation, and the magnetic pole where the planet’s magnetic fields point vertically. The geographic pole stays stationary; however, the magnetic north pole is constantly shifting. It’s currently moving towards Russia.

A total flip takes over a thousand years, enough time for us humans to adjust. What does this effect? Could impact global tracking systems, compasses, and GPS devices. It could also cause migration interruptions. It wouldn’t cause mass extinction, but we would have to adapt our technology to protect power grids, communication systems, and satellites from increased space radiation.

According to science, we are currently not going through a pole flip.

fascinating!

R. J. Davies

A Riveting Jacked-In Dreamy Mind-Bender

RJ Davies - Science Fiction Author, Maddox Files, Novels

[rjdavies]

Fermi Paradox

The Fermi Paradox, also known as the Dark Forest Theory. Aliens exist in abundance but remain silent and hidden due to fear of annihilation by others. This theory was popularized by Liu Cixin, it suggests that the universe is a hostile ‘dark forest’ where any detected life is preemptively destroyed for safety.

This theory suggests that life should be common. The problem with that, we don’t seem to have any evidence of it.

"If aliens ever visit us, I think the outcome would be much as, when Christopher Columbus first landed in America, which didn't turn out very well for the Native Americans" — Stephen Hawking

If aliens do exist, maybe we shouldn’t be so quick to signal them that we are over here in the Milky Way galaxy and inviting them over for tea and biscuits.

The theory does suggest that even if the aliens we encounter are not inherently hostile, they could be forced into aggression because they cannot trust the intentions of others. Leading to fear, aggression for their own protection.

What is needed is advanced technology for space travel, rapid advancement of technology by luck with a weaker civilization could lead them to become a threat, and a need to eliminate them or be eliminated by them.

So, what does this mean for us? Well, we’ve been sending ‘Hey, Hello, are you out there?’ signals, identifying our location, who we are, what we are made of, not even thinking about how this could be very dangerous for our survival. We haven’t received a reply, unless you count the “WOW” signal.

Are we being naïve and careless? Should we be more prudent and reserved? Keep in mind, every encounter of an advanced technological society meeting a lesser technological advance society, it never worked out well for the lesser advanced society. What makes us think it will be any different for us, if we encounter an advanced alien species?

Get your tin foil hats out and keep looking up!

R. J. Davies

A Riveting Jacked-In Dreamy Mind-Bender

RJ Davies - Science Fiction Author, Maddox Files, Novels

[rjdavies]

Erwin Lohre Braunschweig, Germany 1993

March 9th,1993, Erwin Lohre, a former military pilot, was at home sleeping in bed with his wife. It was around 12:30 am, Erwin woke up with a stabbing pain in his back. He got up and took some painkillers, then went back to bed. His wife woke up around the same time.

They heard a humming outside their home, which grew louder. Then a bright round shining object appeared in their bedroom window. They went to get up and found themselves frozen. Erwin said he wasn’t frightened, just annoyed that he couldn’t move. His wife began to shake. Then the UFO took off and vanished.

About a half hour later, the noise came back! They could see the UFO coming towards them again. The craft was shimmering with all the colours of the rainbow, the cupola was a bright shining silver. The underside had three coloured apertures and a central light. The disc was about 10 metres wide, hovering outside their window, then it just disappeared again.

Erwin reported the encounter to a local newspaper, and had 25 people contact him, including a whole bowling team that were traveling home at the time. None of them were prepared to go public as eyewitnesses.

Keep looking up!

R. J. Davies

A Riveting Jacked-In Dreamy Mind-Bender

RJ Davies - Science Fiction Author, Maddox Files, Novels

[rjdavies]

Alien-Human Hybrids They Walk Among Us

According to Dr. David M. Jacobs who has researched UFO’s and alien abductions, believes aliens have been harvesting and using our DNA for over a hundred years. The goal is to make an alien-human hybrid.

Dr. Jacobs has interviewed hundreds of people who have recalled abduction encounters, with details that are undeniably similar.

Are they friends or foes? Is this a takeover? Should we be more concerned?

Human-alien hybrids look nearly identical to humans. Most cases they were not raised on Earth, and they have certain abilities such as telepathy. They can influence your thoughts and actions. They may be raised off planet which means they may appear awkward as they try to blend in. Could be that weird neighbour, co-worker or person you dated in college.

They may walk among us,

R. J. Davies

A Riveting Jacked-In Dreamy Mind-Bender

RJ Davies - Science Fiction Author, Maddox Files, Novels