| One would have received no more than a
laugh upon mentioning inter-planetary travel in the
fifties and sixties? Was that so long ago? We have yet to
gain proof of these cosmic continents, not because of
lack of provisions, but, rather, a lack of technological
invention. As the extent of the Atlantic Ocean may have
been an obstacle in Columbus's day, the vastness of our
galaxy is certainly an obstacle that has yet to be
overcome by the human race. If, perhaps in the next
millennium, we overcome the elements of time, speed, and
great distances, we may stumble upon life elsewhere;
after all, Columbus did not expect to stuble upon San
Salvador. As Eratosthenes thought that there was
"one or two inhabitable Earths" between Europe
and the West Indies, there may be one or two inhabitable
Earths within our own galaxy. In trying to explain the scale of the Cosmos to non-scientific oriented people, one can certainly cause more confusion than intended. Take for example the 'taking things for what the seem' statement: Someone may state, "Well, our Milky Way is the only galaxy." Our galaxy is one of hundreds of billions. Carl Sagan states that,
Next, one may argue, "Even if there are hundreds of billions of galaxies, each with hundreds of billions of stars, no other star has planets." This very statement has recently been proven false. 
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