The Grandeur, the Glory, the Beauty, the Mystery –– the sheer SIZE of it ll is overwhelming.
The eighteenth-century's geatest composer, J.S. Bach, had tremendous insght into the ultimate meaning of the universe without knowing much-if-any Science [Bach.died in 1750]. His music is filled with Awe and Wonder.
Listen to his choral work Planets, Stars and Airs of Space, if you can find it anywhere these days in this culture of corruption, brutal banality and glorified venality.
We sang it in high school in 1957, but I've not heard it again, since.
Too bad so much of the REALLY great stuff has gotten buried by the ideological termites working night and day to OBLITERATE even the MEMORY of Western Christian Civilization!
May these great pctures from Outer Space her revive humanity's capacity to feel Awe and Wonder –– and to begin again to RESPECT things far beyond our own paltry wants and needs.
Franco, people back in the day paid a Lot of attention to the night sky. You could See It back then. No light pollution. Some people today have likely never seen the milky way - the moon, mars, jupiter and a few bright stars is all they've really seen.
I know, Kid. My father, who was born 110 years ago in 1908, used to tell me about it how he loved to go out on a clear summer's night and lie on his back in the grass to see how many constellations he could identify. We did a little of this together when I was a young boy, but even 70+ years ago the amount of light pollution made it difficult.
My vision is so poor now, I can hardly see a full moon anymore. –– and when I do, I see it in TRIPLICATE –– three moons sort of fused together. Corneal transplant surgery can do hat to you, but it beats not seeing at all.
Thank the Lord, I CAN.Kid, and that's probably why I spend way too much time at this blessed machine. The 'pgter is the only place left where i can read, and that's because I can magnify the font to near-headline size. It's a neat invention.
The REAL world looks kinda pretty to me. Landscapes and gardens look like paintings by Renoir and Monet –– especilly when the sun's out. Not bad at al! ;-)
I’ve said this so many times, and it’s true: space blows my mind. Now, you know, everyone has this notion that the Almighty created us in His own image. I don’t believe that. There is no way that WE are like the Supreme Being ... not in any way. Try to imagine the power of the being that created the entire universe. I definitely believe in God ... I also unquestionably believe that He is far more than we puny human beings can possibly imagine, and the pictures you post here remind me of this every single time.
I think we ARE like God in that a few of us,–– like Johann Sebastian Bach, for example ––, have within the power to CREATE unique and marvelous things in all fields of endeavor. I don't believe any other species could make that claim, could they?
The Great Difference between US and our CREATOR, however, is that HE has always been able to make Somethng out of Nothing, while WE are able only to use the raw materials –– the elements –– HE has given us to perform our own far less spectacular wonders.
If our existence has a purpose, I believe it to be the Eternal Quest to learn what Reality really is, and what is and is not true about it.
That's what I have come to believe, anyway. I wouldn't dare say anyine else should believe it, but I do.
No, Kid, of course not, but the CONCEPT of Life as a Search for Truth works as "the carrot on the stick in front of the donkey." The donkey, of course, represents Humanity.
Hear O Israel, the lord your God the lord is One...' - Bible, Deuteronomy 6:4 So it is always the oneness and totality of God that is to found within each and every one of us. This is the mystery of the 'all in all', an idea that is expressed several times in the New Testament and also one that is found in the Bhagavad Gita, as the following passage demonstrates...
'The man whose self is disciplined in yoga, whose perception is the same everywhere, sees himself in all creatures and all creatures in himself.' - Bhagavad Gita 6:29
Also related to this idea of the 'all in all' or the idea that within a person is to be found all of existence, is the mystery of the kingdom of Heaven. For it is stated in the Bible that this is to be found inside you, as described by Jesus in gospels. As it says in the Gospels...
"The kingdom of God does not come with your careful observation, nor will people say, 'Here it is' or 'There it is,' because the kingdom of God is within you." - Bible, Luke 17:21
Bunkerville, OK, I can't resist. God is everything. God knows all. God is in each of us. God is All Things.
I'm often tempted to conclude God is culmination of everything, me, you, everyone else, the universe(s), All of it. That God is everything, nothing can escape God. In this life or the next or the next, life is an unimaginable and inescapable and unchangeable clockwork of events, its paths and destinations undeniable, unalterable.
I also read today that the Dead Sea Scrolls verify the text of the Bible.
I think you two are really ON to somethng BIG. I've had similar thoughts, myself since I was a teenager.
Try this on for size, and see how it feels:
"There is no Life, Truth, Intelligence or Substance in MATTER. All is infinite MIND and it's nfinite mafesatiins, for GOD is All-in-All. Spirit is immortal Truth. Matter is mortal Error. Sport is God, and Man is His imge and ieness, therefore MAN is not MATERIALl, he is SPIRITUAL."
ALSO , itself.
Those two radical statements came from the great American mystic Mary Baker Eddy, the discoverer and founder of Christian Science. I never became a Christian Scientist, for many reasons I can't get into here, but I studied it seriously for about ten years, attended CS church services through high school and college, and left the movement feeling that Mrs. EDDY was really ON to Somethng Big, and that many of her writings have great merit, and are filled with Practical Wisdom and Sound Advice on how best to interpret the Scriptures and to live one's Life.Herinsight's into what the Nible reeally means have been a great help to me for sixty-five years.
BUT, ––s with all the temporal organizations that set themselves up to Spread the Gospel ––, the Human Element –– that diabolical lust to gain Power and Control over Others –– marred the Christian. Science Church as it has all the others,and so the Forces of Darkness, –– who live only to denigrate, debunk, deride, discredit, dismiss and destroy GOOD –– always have plenty of ammuntion to throw at "those who earnestly seek to do good."
Human foibles, however, CANNOT destroy TRUTH, which is GOD.
If I didn't believe that, I would never have survived and dine as well as I have.
One thing's for sure: WE DON'T LIVE BY BREAD ALONE.
All are fascinating with sme more beautiful than others, but THIS ONE attracts me most because of extremely rare symmetry geometric shape. Straight lin.es don't occur often inNature, do they?
Explanation: How was the unusual Red Rectangle nebula created? At the nebula's center is an aging binary star system that surely powers the nebula but does not, as yet, explain its colors. The unusual shape of the Red Rectangle is likely due to a thick dust torus which pinches the otherwise spherical outflow into tip-touching cone shapes. Because we view the torus edge-on, the boundary edges of the cone shapes seem to form an X. The distinct rungs suggest the outflow occurs in fits and starts. The unusual colors of the nebula are less well understood, however, and speculation holds that they are partly provided by hydrocarbon molecules that may actually be building blocks for organic life. The Red Rectangle nebula lies about 2,300 light years away towards the constellation of the Unicorn (Monoceros). The nebula is shown here in great detail as recently reprocessed image from Hubble Space Telescope. In a few million years, as one of the central stars becomes further depleted of nuclear fuel, the Red Rectangle nebula will likely bloom into a planetary nebula.
The "explanation" doesn't really 'explain" it all, i–– at least not in terms i can undestand –– it only ADDS to the mystery.
The Grandeur, the Glory, the Beauty, the Mystery –– the sheer SIZE of it ll is overwhelming.
ReplyDeleteThe eighteenth-century's geatest composer, J.S. Bach, had tremendous insght into the ultimate meaning of the universe without knowing much-if-any Science [Bach.died in 1750]. His music is filled with Awe and Wonder.
Listen to his choral work Planets, Stars and Airs of Space, if you can find it anywhere these days in this culture of corruption, brutal banality and glorified venality.
We sang it in high school in 1957, but I've not heard it again, since.
Too bad so much of the REALLY great stuff has gotten buried by the ideological termites working night and day to OBLITERATE even the MEMORY of Western Christian Civilization!
May these great pctures from Outer Space her revive humanity's capacity to feel Awe and Wonder –– and to begin again to RESPECT things far beyond our own paltry wants and needs.
Franco, people back in the day paid a Lot of attention to the night sky. You could See It back then. No light pollution. Some people today have likely never seen the milky way - the moon, mars, jupiter and a few bright stars is all they've really seen.
DeleteI know, Kid. My father, who was born 110 years ago in 1908, used to tell me about it how he loved to go out on
Deletea clear summer's night and lie on his back in the grass to see how many constellations he could identify. We did a little of this together when I was a young boy, but even 70+ years ago the amount of light pollution made it difficult.
My vision is so poor now, I can hardly see a full moon anymore. –– and when I do, I see it in TRIPLICATE –– three moons sort of fused together. Corneal transplant surgery can do hat to you, but it beats not seeing at all.
Franco, sorry to hear the eyesight is that bad. I hope you can see the images on your computer monitor a lot better.
DeleteThank the Lord, I CAN.Kid, and that's probably why I spend way too much time at this blessed machine. The 'pgter is the only place left where i can read, and that's because I can magnify the font to near-headline size. It's a neat invention.
DeleteThe REAL world looks kinda pretty to me. Landscapes and gardens look like paintings by Renoir and Monet –– especilly when the sun's out. Not bad at al! ;-)
Hey, a world that looks like Renoir and Monet doesn't sound half bad.
DeleteI’ve said this so many times, and it’s true: space blows my mind. Now, you know, everyone has this notion that the Almighty created us in His own image. I don’t believe that. There is no way that WE are like the Supreme Being ... not in any way. Try to imagine the power of the being that created the entire universe. I definitely believe in God ... I also unquestionably believe that He is far more than we puny human beings can possibly imagine, and the pictures you post here remind me of this every single time.
ReplyDeleteHi, Mustang,
DeleteI think we ARE like God in that a few of us,–– like Johann Sebastian Bach, for example ––, have within the power to CREATE unique and marvelous things in all fields of endeavor. I don't believe any other species could make that claim, could they?
The Great Difference between US and our CREATOR, however, is that HE has always been able to make Somethng out of Nothing, while WE are able only to use the raw materials –– the elements –– HE has given us to perform our own far less spectacular wonders.
If our existence has a purpose, I believe it to be the Eternal Quest to learn what Reality really is, and what is and is not true about it.
That's what I have come to believe, anyway. I wouldn't dare say anyine else should believe it, but I do.
I agree Mustang. And it is why I like to regularly take in the bigger picture. It is good for the soul.
DeleteFranco "If our existence has a purpose, I believe it to be the Eternal Quest to learn what Reality really is, and what is and is not true about it."
DeleteI don't believe we find that out on this world.
No, Kid, of course not, but the CONCEPT of Life as a Search for Truth works as "the carrot on the stick in front of the donkey." The donkey, of course, represents Humanity.
DeleteMustang,
DeletePsalm 19: The heavens declare the glory of God....
No way can we fully comprehend God. Compared to Him, we are lowly earthworms, maybe even amebas.
Franco, The Search for Truth, that I would more call the Search for Reality is fine. I just don't believe we will find any reality in this realm.
DeleteNice lineup. Until you get to Sauron, that is. *KNOCK* *KNOCK*... great. I think a Nazgûl is at my door!
ReplyDeleteDaBlade, I have the ring. Mum's the word.
Delete
ReplyDeleteI'll share my take on it...
Hear O Israel, the lord your God the lord is One...' - Bible, Deuteronomy 6:4
So it is always the oneness and totality of God that is to found within each and every one of us. This is the mystery of the 'all in all', an idea that is expressed several times in the New Testament and also one that is found in the Bhagavad Gita, as the following passage demonstrates...
'The man whose self is disciplined in yoga, whose perception is the same everywhere, sees himself in all creatures and all creatures in himself.' - Bhagavad Gita 6:29
Also related to this idea of the 'all in all' or the idea that within a person is to be found all of existence, is the mystery of the kingdom of Heaven. For it is stated in the Bible that this is to be found inside you, as described by Jesus in gospels. As it says in the Gospels...
"The kingdom of God does not come with your careful observation, nor will people say, 'Here it is' or 'There it is,' because the kingdom of God is within you." - Bible, Luke 17:21
Bunkerville, OK, I can't resist. God is everything. God knows all. God is in each of us.
DeleteGod is All Things.
I'm often tempted to conclude God is culmination of everything, me, you, everyone else, the universe(s), All of it. That God is everything, nothing can escape God. In this life or the next or the next, life is an unimaginable and inescapable and unchangeable clockwork of events, its paths and destinations undeniable, unalterable.
I also read today that the Dead Sea Scrolls verify the text of the Bible.
I think you two are really ON to somethng BIG. I've had similar thoughts, myself since I was a teenager.
DeleteTry this on for size, and see how it feels:
"There is no Life, Truth, Intelligence or Substance in MATTER. All is infinite MIND and it's nfinite mafesatiins, for GOD is All-in-All. Spirit is immortal Truth. Matter is mortal Error. Sport is God, and Man is His imge and ieness, therefore MAN is not MATERIALl, he is SPIRITUAL."
ALSO , itself.
Those two radical statements came from the great American mystic Mary Baker Eddy, the discoverer and founder of Christian Science. I never became a Christian Scientist, for many reasons I can't get into here, but I studied it seriously for about ten years, attended CS church services through high school and college, and left the movement feeling that Mrs. EDDY was really ON to Somethng Big, and that many of her writings have great merit, and are filled with Practical Wisdom and Sound Advice on how best to interpret the Scriptures and to live one's Life.Herinsight's into what the Nible reeally means have been a great help to me for sixty-five years.
BUT, ––s with all the temporal organizations that set themselves up to Spread the Gospel ––, the Human Element –– that diabolical lust to gain Power and Control over Others –– marred the Christian. Science Church as it has all the others,and so the Forces of Darkness, –– who live only to denigrate, debunk, deride, discredit, dismiss and destroy GOOD –– always have plenty of ammuntion to throw at "those who earnestly seek to do good."
Human foibles, however, CANNOT destroy TRUTH, which is GOD.
If I didn't believe that, I would never have survived and dine as well as I have.
One thing's for sure: WE DON'T LIVE BY BREAD ALONE.
"The Pencil Nebula in Red and Blue" is absolutely gorgeous!
ReplyDeleteAOW, That it is !
DeleteI look forward to at some point getting the "grand tour" - simply beautiful.
DeleteAll are fascinating with sme more beautiful than others, but THIS ONE attracts me most because of extremely rare symmetry geometric shape. Straight lin.es don't occur often inNature, do they?
ReplyDeleteThe Red Rectangle Nebula from Hubble
(Image Credit: Hubble, NASA, ESA; Processing & License: Judy Schmidt)
Explanation: How was the unusual Red Rectangle nebula created? At the nebula's center is an aging binary star system that surely powers the nebula but does not, as yet, explain its colors. The unusual shape of the Red Rectangle is likely due to a thick dust torus which pinches the otherwise spherical outflow into tip-touching cone shapes. Because we view the torus edge-on, the boundary edges of the cone shapes seem to form an X. The distinct rungs suggest the outflow occurs in fits and starts. The unusual colors of the nebula are less well understood, however, and speculation holds that they are partly provided by hydrocarbon molecules that may actually be building blocks for organic life. The Red Rectangle nebula lies about 2,300 light years away towards the constellation of the Unicorn (Monoceros). The nebula is shown here in great detail as recently reprocessed image from Hubble Space Telescope. In a few million years, as one of the central stars becomes further depleted of nuclear fuel, the Red Rectangle nebula will likely bloom into a planetary nebula.
The "explanation" doesn't really 'explain" it all, i–– at least not in terms i can undestand –– it only ADDS to the mystery.
Franco, Image and description are absolutely fascinating.
Deletewonderful!!
ReplyDeleteBTW- thinking of leafing face book an doing more blog--
if what I read is true- f b - is financed by the 'dark side' --
C-CS
leaving face book and --:-) edit of the above :-)
DeleteC-CS, I never got on, but if I was I'd sure leave that Conservative censoring Nazi zukerberg and his good squad. :)
Delete.. goon squad.
DeleteNEWSFLASH! JOHN McCAIN is DEAD and now The Hurricane of Hypocrisy and Fuillades of Fatuous Fulsome Rhetoric Begin
ReplyDelete