Photosynthesis is the process by which plants, some bacteria, and some protistans use the energy from sunlight to produce sugar, which cellular respiration converts into ATP, the "fuel" used by all living things. The conversion of unusable sunlight energy into usable chemical energy, is associated with the actions of the green pigment chlorophyll. Most of the time, the photosynthetic process uses water and releases the oxygen that we absolutely must have to stay alive. Oh yes, we need the food as well!We can write the overall reaction of this process as:6H2O + 6CO2 ---------- C6H12O6+ 6O2
Most of us don't speak chemicalese, so the above chemical equation translates as:six molecules of water plus six molecules of carbon dioxide produce one molecule of sugar plus six molecules of oxygen
The first light of dawn stimulates the retina of your eye to make serotonin, which in turn activates your pineal gland, deep within your brain, to make even more serotonin. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter that acts like an “on†switch to get you up and out into the world. Interestingly, serotonin also gives you confidence and self-esteem. Could the high demand for medications be at least partially due to people not getting up with the sun and into the light of the outdoors?
Winding down
With the decline of light at dusk, the retina of your eye begins to turn serotonin into melatonin. This in turn activates your pineal gland to do the same. The conversion of serotonin into melatonin is only a slight biochemical shift, but it has a dramatic effect on your entire being. Melatonin is the “off†switch that begins to shut down your “dayshift†systems so they can be recharged and repaired. Your “nightshift†crew includes growth hormone, which repairs proteins that might have been damaged during your day’s exertions eeking out a living. The deeper your sleep, the greater the repair job growth hormone can do.
As your adrenal glands gradually shut down, a new batch of adrenal hormones is produced and stored. Melatonin also stimulates your thymus gland to make hormones that activate your immune system to destroy any invaders and assist in repair.Melatonin, unlike serotonin, can readily slip through any membrane in your body, including your blood/brain barrier where its powerful antioxidant properties protect your delicate brain from free radicals.
The OHM tone is based on the elliptical orbit of the earth, which makes it a grounding, centering and energizing frequency. It is the sound which rings out when the world is active, alive. If it were dead, the sound would be impossible to hear. In a word it is the ancient sound by which we live. The sound is the embodiment of the so-called LIGHT which we are all searching for in spiritual areas as we continue upward. From the most varied sources, we have discovered that after death light awaits us. Basically all religions tell us, that at the end, the greatest of lights is waiting for us, no matter what name it goes by. OHM is used in some present day religions as the word Amen. To a great extent it is represented in the liturgy.
It has been said in some circles that OHM is the pranavah, or the primeval first mantra. It is the sound which comes from us.
The basis of OHM is the assumption that the center of the world and the entire universe is a vibration at the most varied durations. The universe is therefore consisting of trembling, tones, vibration, strength and light. Within our body the vibration creates an innumerable amount of sounds, which strike at the various levels of our consciousness. Concentrating the mind on these sounds, we achieve a softening of the thought waves, and by this a cleansing of the mind of rough and tangible imaginings.
We have it within ourselves, while we live it is there. Yet we must constantly search for the tone OHM, learn to listen to it, and attempt to hold its vibration within us. This cosmic sound can be heard in all tones, whether high or low.
"Sun"
Author: Dana Meachen Rau
Publisher: Compass Point BooksDescribes the composition, surface features, and exploration of the sun, as well as its place in the solar system.
"The Cult of Ra: Sun-Worship in Ancient Egypt" by
Stephen Quirke
"Touch the Sun"-The book was written by Noreen Grice, author of two other books featuring textured celestial images for the visually impaired. The new "Touch the Sun" book allows blind and visually impaired students to experience images of the sun and solar activity by feeling transparent raised textures bonded to the pictures. "Touch the Sun" features arresting images from the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) and the Transition Region and Coronal Explorer (TRACE) spacecraft.
"Children of the Sun"
Author: John L'Hommedieu
Published by Child's Play 2001 The Sun is a large star at the center of our solar system. Nine Planets orbit around it, including our planet, Earth. Open the book. Pull the pages towards you, like a tunnel through space. You are now ready to visit the planets, in order of their distance from the Sun. Open to the right, then to the left, following the unusual page secquence. Enjoy your journey!
Our Star, the Sun
We all know that the Sun is overwhelmingly important to life on Earth, but few of us have been given a good description of our star and its variations.
The Sun is an average star, similar to millions of others in the Universe. It is a prodigious energy machine, manufacturing about 3.8 x 1023 kiloWatts (or kiloJoules/sec). In other words, if the total output of the Sun was gathered for one second it would provide the U.S. with enough energy, at its current usage rate, for the next 9,000,000 years. The basic energy source for the Sun is nuclear fusion, which uses the high temperatures and densities within the core to fuse hydrogen, producing energy and creating helium as a byproduct.
In the picture above, two types of hydrogen atoms, deuterium and tritium, combine to make a helium atom and an extra particle called a neutron. The core of the Sun is so dense and the size of the Sun so great that energy released at the center of the Sun takes about 50,000,000 years to make its way to the surface, undergoing countless absorptions and re-emissions in the process.
If the Sun were to stop producing energy today, it would take 50,000,000 years for significant effects to be felt at Earth!The Sun has been producing its radiant and thermal energies for the past four or five billion years. It has enough hydrogen to continue producing for another hundred billion years. However, in about ten to twenty billion years the surface of the Sun will begin to expand, enveloping the inner planets (including Earth). At that time, our Sun will be known as a red giant star. If the Sun were more massive, it would collapse and re-ignite as a helium-burning star. Due to its average size, however, the Sun is expected to merely contract into a relatively small, cool star known as a white dwarf.