I love this dramatic image from the Hubble Space Telescope of NGC 7049, a so-called Brightest Cluster Galaxy. It is amongst the oldest and most massive galaxies in the universe.
The small faint points of light are globular clusters of young stars, and the halo – the ghostly, diffuse light surrounding the galaxy – is made up of myriads of individual stars shining through the lacy dust lanes that swirl around the galaxy’s core.
Read more of the science here.
Technorati Tags: astronomy, science, universe, galaxy, stars, globular clusters, space, Hubble, telescope
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I can not resist quoting Baha’u'llah:
Thou hast, moreover, asked Me concerning the nature of the celestial spheres. To comprehend their nature, it would be necessary to inquire into the meaning of the allusions that have been made in the Books of old to the celestial spheres and the heavens, and to discover the character of their relationship to this physical world, and the influence which they exert upon it. Every heart is filled with wonder at so bewildering a theme, and every mind is perplexed by its mystery. God, alone, can fathom its import. The learned men, that have fixed at several thousand years the life of this earth, have failed, throughout the long period of their observation, to consider either the number or the age of the other planets. Consider, moreover, the manifold divergencies that have resulted from the theories propounded by these men. Know thou that every fixed star hath its own planets, and every planet its own creatures, whose number no man can compute.
Absolutely breathtaking! This is one of the most awe-inspiring, gorgeous pictures I’ve ever seen. Thanks for posting it, and to you, Mr. Oliveira, for the quote, which is even more mind-boggling!
Perhaps some wouldn’t understand or appreciate this during these rough economic times, but we live in an absolutely marvelous age!
Marco, many thanks for posting that wonderful quote. I wish I’d thought to do so myself, but I was in a hurry to get the fantastic pic up on the blog.
Angela, I absolutely agree with you about this picture. Awe-inspiring in the true sense of the phrase.
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