Text written in Basque and translated automatically by Elia without any subsequent editing. SEE ORIGINAL

When I saw the Earth from space, I was trapped

Virginia García Pena (Pasaia Donibane, 1979) is an astronomer. He is a partner of the Aranzadi Science Society and develops informative and educational projects. he joined the Board of Directors of the association in 2016 and headed the Astronomy Department between 2018 and 2023. Eureka worked as a planner for eight years At the Science Museum. since 2021, she has been a member of the Board of Directors of the Spanish Federation of Astronomical Associations and of the Women’s Astronomy Group promoted by this federation.

He has recently travelled from town to town to explain the eclipse of August 12, but he has generously taken the time to answer the questions of the magazine Elhuyar. He acknowledged that it had been easy for him because he had clear answers, especially the first question.

Ana Galarraga Aiestaran

What has surprised you the most since you started working?

I don’t know if it’s a revolution, but I remember a moment in my childhood when I realized that I wanted to know more. That moment brought me here. I have a Galician mother who was in Galicia, at my grandmother’s house. After dinner, I went out to play with my cousins. My grandmother stayed inside, picking up the kitchen, and one day, I don't know why, I went into the kitchen, and my grandmother was watching TV. They were giving news and suddenly the image of the Earth appeared, seen from space. I don't know how old I was, about six. They would have been images of a shuttle, and I remember how I stopped to see the Earth from space and hear the new one, to see what they said. Besides, I remember that my cousin came looking for me, calling and screaming, and I ordered him to shut up because I wanted to listen.

In fact, when children are asked about planets, no one usually refers to the Earth. For my part, I have recorded that I saw the Earth from the outside and I was already trapped with it.

For me, that moment was key. Besides, my grandfather here was a fishing skipper, and he showed me the stars. I saw the moon with its binoculars for the first time. My passion for space comes from a very young age.

What revolution or discovery would you like to witness?

This question is not as clear as the other, but I would say that we still have many unanswered questions about the universe, some of which I would like to answer. For example, detection of dark matter and dark energy.

An enormous effort is being made to do this, because we lack these two data to know the universe as we understand it, dark matter and dark energy. It may happen that we discover that we were wrong and that there is no dark matter or dark energy.

Both options are very exciting. If they find them, it'll be amazing. And if they conclude that they do not exist, and that they are invented by us to adapt the formulas well, it will mean that we will have to question what we have been building for years. Both are fascinating.