Another spectacular APOD (Astronomy Picture Of the Day) from NASA and the Hubble telescope: the Starburst Galaxy (M94)! “A mere 15 million light years distant,” NASA tells us; that means that a beam of its light takes 15 million years to reach us. Containing billions of stars, to us it is a tiny, faint point of light in the night sky.
I know I seem to be obsessing on these NASA photos. But every new image I see paints a wider, deeper, and more wonderful picture of the universe our Lord has created. And the incomprehensible distance grows between this universe and its beginning in an infinitesimally small seed in the palm of God’s hand barely 14 billion years ago.
Every APOD is a proclamation of the greater glory of God.
AFTERTHOUGHT: I remember when NASA first launched the Hubble Telescope into space, back in 1990. Shortly after launch, they discovered its main mirror was warped. The TV comedians had a field day, mocking the scientists for their incompetence and calling it a boondoggle. But NASA’s Space Shuttle astronauts fixed it in 1993, and it has been exploring the universe (and sending us these dazzling images) ever since. It is projected to continue working until 2030 or even 2040.
Thanks, NASA! If only every government program worked this well.
O Ben Finiti 