Traveling at the speed of light

One AU is the distance from the sun to the Earth, the blue planet on the right, which is about 93 million miles or 150 million kilometers. Neptune, the most distant planet from the sun, is about 30 AU and informally, the space from the sun to the last planet is considered our "solar system". The edge of the solar system is further out, where the two Voyager spacecraft are, almost 97 times farther afield almost 130 AU or 20 billion kilometers from the sun .

My travels at conventional velocities allowed me to visit many interesting places but nothing like traveling away from the sun towards the planets in our solar system.  It takes 45 minutes at the speed of light to reach Jupiter and another 35 minutes to reach Saturn.  This amazing video gives you an idea of the enormity of our solar system and of course our amazing Universe.  Enjoy!

Riding Light from Alphonse Swinehart on Vimeo.

Serifos

Serifos (Σέριφος in Greek) is a small, less frequently visited island located in the Cycladic archipelago. 

Serifos is an ideal place for those who want a quiet vacation away from the hustle and bustle similar to that of the trendy Greek islands that attract most tourists.

In Greek mythology, Serifos is where Danaë and her son Perseus sought refuge after her father, Acrisius, in response to an oracle that his own grandson would kill him, set them adrift in a small wooden chest in the Aegean sea. Attic Red, Late Archaic ca 490 BC, in Museum of Fine Arts Boston.  Beazley Archive No.: 202466

In Homer’s Odyssey, we learned that Ulysses stopped in Serifos on his return to Ithaca. Upon his arrival, a one-eyed giant Cyclop, Polyphemus, took Ulysses and his sailors hostages when they asked for assistance. An alternate version of the story has the giant’s cave on the island of Sicily.  Although there is no consistency regarding the location of Polyphemus’ cave, both versions present him practicing cannibalism as he ate two of Ulysses companions every day.      

Ulysses, who frantically sought to escape, was able to do so by first blinding the giant. 

Ulysses and his crew managed to escape from the infuriated giant’s cave by hanging under Polyphemus’ sheep when he took them out to graze. 

Ulysses’ crew then joined him for the journey back home to Ithaca.  The furious giant attempted to sink their boat by throwing huge boulders at it. However, the giant was unsuccessful.  Painting by Arnold Bocklin (1896)