---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: One of the special forces asked Skippy…"
description: "\"“One of the special forces asked Skippy whether we could see the Sun from there, and Skippy enhanced the image in our helmet visors, so we could see th..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d66/craig-alanson-17860_astronomy_one-of-the-special-forces-asked-skippy-w_2046744.jpg"
---

#  One of the special forces asked Skippy whether we could…

![“One of the special forces asked Skippy whether we could see the Sun from there, and Skippy enhanced the image in our helmet visors, so we could see the faint light of our home star. I remember Skippy reminding us that the light we were seeing then left the sun eighteen hundred years ago. The Roman…” quote by Craig Alanson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d66/craig-alanson-17860_astronomy_one-of-the-special-forces-asked-skippy-w_2046744.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d66/craig-alanson-17860_astronomy_one-of-the-special-forces-asked-skippy-w_2046744.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d66/craig-alanson-17860_astronomy_one-of-the-special-forces-asked-skippy-w_2046744.jpg)

> ““One of the special forces asked Skippy whether we could see the Sun from there, and Skippy enhanced the image in our helmet visors, so we could see the faint light of our home star. I remember Skippy reminding us that the light we were seeing then left the sun eighteen hundred years ago. The Roman Empire ruled the Mediterranean back then. Under that perspective, the authority of Earth begins to seem thin after we pass through a couple wormholes.””

[Craig Alanson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-alanson/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Seeing the Sun from deep space highlights how tiny and fleeting humanity’s perspective is compared to cosmic timescales.

**In simple terms:** Space travel shows Earth’s insignificance.

Key Takeaway

Remember the vastness beyond Earth.

Themes

perspective cosmos humility

Mood

wonder humble

Type

inspirational philosophical

When to use this quote

- space missions
- astronomy education
- philosophical reflection

Key Concepts

relativity time dilation wormholes

Questions to Reflect On

- How does cosmic perspective change your values?
- What responsibilities arise from recognizing Earth’s fragility?

A Different Perspective

Human significance feels larger when grounded in daily life.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Asked Skippy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/asked-skippy-3837055/) [Astronomy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/astronomy/) [Left Sun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/left-sun-366862/) [Light Seeing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/light-seeing-3837057/) [Mediterranean Perspective](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mediterranean-perspective-3837058/) [Remember Skippy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/remember-skippy-3837056/) [Special forces](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/special-forces/) [Years ago](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/years-ago/)

## Related quotes

> [This was it. Together. Forever. As we left it all behind, the sun warmed my back, lighting the way before us. I knew of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/becca-fitzpatrick/this-was-it-together-forever-as-we-left-it-all-behind-the-sun-warmed/)

[Becca Fitzpatrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/becca-fitzpatrick/)

> [“The sea has left us but the sun remains”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-revell/the-sea-has-left-us-but-the-sun-remains/)

[Donald Revell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-revell/)

> [“When you went away, you left me nothing but the sun-bleached world. You did not even leave me a heart to bleed with. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-l-ne-cixous/when-you-went-away-you-left-me-nothing-but-the-sun-bleached-world-you/)

[Hélène Cixous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-l-ne-cixous/)

> [Me with my bestfriend :) me at the left(with sun glasses) ---&gt; your bestfriend is the one who is willing to cheer you up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shennon-fabiano/me-with-my-bestfriend-me-at-the-left-with-sun-glasses-your-bestfriend/)

[Shennon Fabiano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shennon-fabiano/)

> [“and you turn over to your left side to get the sun on your back and out of your eyes”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/and-you-turn-over-to-your-left-side-to-get-the-sun-on-your-back-and/)

[Charles Bukowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bukowski/)

> [Keeping a relatively small, predominantly U.S. Special Forces presence in Afghanistan to continue to train the Afghan army past December 2016 is a wise…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-bergen/keeping-a-relatively-small-predominantly-u-s-special-forces-presence/)

[Peter Bergen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-bergen/)

> [Guy Savelli's role in the War on Terror began when half-a-dozen strangers, within days of one another, contacted him via e-mail and telephone in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-ronson/guy-savelli-s-role-in-the-war-on-terror-began-when-half-a-dozen/)

[Jon Ronson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-ronson/)

> [“As well, I want our special force commandos to silently slip into Cat Bi and Gia Lam airfields and destroy the aircraft stationed there.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-g-kramer/as-well-i-want-our-special-force-commandos-to-silently-slip-into-cat/)

[Michael G. Kramer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-g-kramer/)

> [“Why are we sitting way back here?" "This way we can see the whole room and do some recon." "Great, here we go with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quinn-loftis/why-are-we-sitting-way-back-here-this-way-we-can-see-the-whole-room/)

[Quinn Loftis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quinn-loftis/)

> [“The Lessons of the Past  Ancient strategists provide us with modes of thinking and practical guidance that we can use in the present.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-lessons-of-the-past-ancient-strategists-provide-us-with-modes-of/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [We don't comment on special forces operations. And if you run an operation for a long time as we have here, and in Libya,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/crispin-blunt/we-don-t-comment-on-special-forces-operations-and-if-you-run-an/)

[Crispin Blunt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/crispin-blunt/)

> [You bomb ISIL. You're not trying to bomb innocent people. And that requires intelligence and confidence in our military to be able to develop…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/you-bomb-isil-you-re-not-trying-to-bomb-innocent-people-and-that/)

[Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/)

> [“The Ganeva conference on Indochina agreements stated that the south of Vietnam would be handed over to a provisional administration after two years at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-g-kramer/the-ganeva-conference-on-indochina-agreements-stated-that-the-south/)

[Michael G. Kramer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-g-kramer/)

> [“Michael Freeman was thirty-five years old – a former Special Forces soldier turned policeman. He was a tall and slim black man, with grey-flecked…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-conway/michael-freeman-was-thirty-five-years-old-a-former-special-forces/)

[Simon Conway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-conway/)

> [“Military life and culture seem to be foreign territory for many of the people who write for national magazines and newspapers today. Every time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-luttrell/military-life-and-culture-seem-to-be-foreign-territory-for-many-of/)

[Marcus Luttrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-luttrell/)

## More by Craig Alanson

> [“Amateurs discuss tactics. Professionals discuss logistics’.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-alanson/amateurs-discuss-tactics-professionals-discuss-logistics/)

[Craig Alanson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-alanson/)

> [“We could go directly from, say, Atlanta to Duluth, instead of going Atlanta-Dallas-Chicago-Detroit-Duluth. Except, of course, there is no reason for anyone to ever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-alanson/we-could-go-directly-from-say-atlanta-to-duluth-instead-of-going/)

[Craig Alanson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-alanson/)

> [“I was not going to let fear of criticism make me shy away from doing what I thought was right.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-alanson/i-was-not-going-to-let-fear-of-criticism-make-me-shy-away-from-doing/)

[Craig Alanson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-alanson/)

> [“Break the problem down into manageable pieces, then solve each piece. Think of the problem as an enemy, and defeat them in detail.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-alanson/break-the-problem-down-into-manageable-pieces-then-solve-each-piece/)

[Craig Alanson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-alanson/)

> [“It’s not the touch, it’s knowing that you’re not alone, that someone cares about you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-alanson/it-s-not-the-touch-it-s-knowing-that-you-re-not-alone-that-someone/)

[Craig Alanson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-alanson/)

> [“But you’re not that smart, I mean, your species is responsible for Windows Vista.” “Vist- that was a long time ago!” “It’s still an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-alanson/but-you-re-not-that-smart-i-mean-your-species-is-responsible-for/)

[Craig Alanson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-alanson/)

> [“although she used her frequent coffee buyer card, so I guessed that she got coffee there often. The shop wasn’t empty as I had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-alanson/although-she-used-her-frequent-coffee-buyer-card-so-i-guessed-that/)

[Craig Alanson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-alanson/)

> [“No problem. Seriously, Joe, women have just as much trouble understanding men, as men have trouble understanding women. The difference is, women generally want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-alanson/no-problem-seriously-joe-women-have-just-as-much-trouble/)

[Craig Alanson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-alanson/)

> [“Bitches be crazy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-alanson/bitches-be-crazy/)

[Craig Alanson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-alanson/)

> [“I like pineapple.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-alanson/i-like-pineapple/)

[Craig Alanson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-alanson/)

> [“At my level, the laws of physics are more like suggestions. And”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-alanson/at-my-level-the-laws-of-physics-are-more-like-suggestions-and/)

[Craig Alanson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-alanson/)

> [“We fight the wars. Politicians start them.” Chotek nodded, and sighed heavily. “And diplomats end wars.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-alanson/we-fight-the-wars-politicians-start-them-chotek-nodded-and-sighed/)

[Craig Alanson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-alanson/)

> [“No, I pull in other resources as needed, I've never used more than seven percent of my capacity so far since I met you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-alanson/no-i-pull-in-other-resources-as-needed-i-ve-never-used-more-than/)

[Craig Alanson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-alanson/)

> [“Friedlander chuckled. “Why did the two blondes freeze to death at the drive-in theater?” “I don’t know?” “They went to see ‘Closed for the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-alanson/friedlander-chuckled-why-did-the-two-blondes-freeze-to-death-at-the/)

[Craig Alanson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-alanson/)

> [“the big problem is the lubricant contaminating the shaft.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-alanson/the-big-problem-is-the-lubricant-contaminating-the-shaft/)

[Craig Alanson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-alanson/)

[Explore all 36 Craig Alanson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-alanson/)

## More Astronomy quotes

> [I have inside me the winds, the deserts, the oceans, the stars, and everything created in the universe. We were all made by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/i-have-inside-me-the-winds-the-deserts-the-oceans-the-stars-and/)

[Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/)

> [Mankind have been slow to believe that order reigns in the universe-that the world is a cosmos and a chaos.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-garfield/mankind-have-been-slow-to-believe-that-order-reigns-in-the-universe/)

[James A. Garfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-garfield/)

> [Wen daylight turns to a darkened hue, D lovely stars hinting at u, ur heart beat tells u something true, That some 1 badly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/butterfly-kisses/wen-daylight-turns-to-a-darkened-hue-d-lovely-stars-hinting-at-u-ur/)

[Butterfly\_Kisses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/butterfly-kisses/)

> [Home is behind, the world ahead, And there are many paths to tread Through shadows to the edge of night, Until the stars are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/home-is-behind-the-world-ahead-and-there-are-many-paths-to-tread/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [In the movie, the stars above the ship bear no correspondence to any constellations in a real sky. Worse yet, while the heroine bobs...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/in-the-movie-the-stars-above-the-ship-bear-no-correspondence-to-any/)

[Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/)

> [Astronomers have built telescopes which can show myriads of stars unseen before; but when a man looks through a tear in his own eye,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-ward-beecher/astronomers-have-built-telescopes-which-can-show-myriads-of-stars/)

[Henry Ward Beecher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-ward-beecher/)

> [From the grasses in the field to the stars in the sky, each one is doing just that; and there is such profound peace…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rabindranath-tagore/from-the-grasses-in-the-field-to-the-stars-in-the-sky-each-one-is/)

[Rabindranath Tagore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rabindranath-tagore/)

> [“Sentinels of trees breathe life into bodies of earthly flesh As their mighty arms reach to the stars we join in their quest for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramon-ravenswood/sentinels-of-trees-breathe-life-into-bodies-of-earthly-flesh-as-their/)

[Ramon Ravenswood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramon-ravenswood/)

> [“If there are no stars on the sky, you must try to be happy with the shining streetlights!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/if-there-are-no-stars-on-the-sky-you-must-try-to-be-happy-with-the/)

[Mehmet Murat ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/)

> [Twinking tears in a sea of black. Soft light in a world of darkness. Tiny wishes in a place of dreams. Do you see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-gentile/twinking-tears-in-a-sea-of-black-soft-light-in-a-world-of-darkness/)

[Nicole Gentile](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-gentile/)

> [Your head's like mine, like all our heads; big enough to contain every god and devil there ever was. Big enough to hold the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grant-morrison/your-head-s-like-mine-like-all-our-heads-big-enough-to-contain-every/)

[Grant Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grant-morrison/)

> [“Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss it you will land among the stars." ... quote has been credited to Les Brown.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylviek/shoot-for-the-moon-even-if-you-miss-it-you-will-land-among-the-stars/)

[Sylviek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylviek/)

> [When certain stars take you under their wing, it does help as they gauge your potential and are willing to work with you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikram-bhatt/when-certain-stars-take-you-under-their-wing-it-does-help-as-they/)

[Vikram Bhatt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikram-bhatt/)

> [We were put here as witnesses to the miracle of life. We see the stars, and we want them. We are beholden to give…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/we-were-put-here-as-witnesses-to-the-miracle-of-life-we-see-the-stars/)

[Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/)

> [The reason so many of us are obsessed with becoming stars is because we are not yet starring in our own lives. The cosmic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/the-reason-so-many-of-us-are-obsessed-with-becoming-stars-is-because/)

[Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/)

[Browse all 6,190 Astronomy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/astronomy/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“One of the special forces asked Skippy whether we could see the Sun from there, and Skippy enhanced the image in our helmet visors, so we could see the faint light of our home star. I remember Skippy reminding us that the light we were seeing then left the sun eighteen hundred years ago. The Roman Empire ruled the Mediterranean back then. Under that perspective, the authority of Earth begins to seem thin after we pass through a couple wormholes.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Craig Alanson"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-alanson/one-of-the-special-forces-asked-skippy-whether-we-could-see-the-sun/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Astronomy"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-alanson/one-of-the-special-forces-asked-skippy-whether-we-could-see-the-sun/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d66/craig-alanson-17860_astronomy_one-of-the-special-forces-asked-skippy-w_2046744.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d66/craig-alanson-17860_astronomy_one-of-the-special-forces-asked-skippy-w_2046744.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d66/craig-alanson-17860_astronomy_one-of-the-special-forces-asked-skippy-w_2046744.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“One of the special forces asked Skippy whether we could see the Sun from there, and Skippy enhanced the…” — Craig Alanson",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Craig Alanson",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-alanson/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“One of the special forces asked...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-alanson/one-of-the-special-forces-asked-skippy-whether-we-could-see-the-sun/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-alanson/one-of-the-special-forces-asked-skippy-whether-we-could-see-the-sun/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
