Asteroid 2015 HDI Passing by Earth

Asteroid 2015 HDI is expected to pass by Earth today at 3:11 a.m.  There is no cause for alarm. The asteroid is not expected to hit us.  Asteroid 2015 HDI is about 50 feet wide and will pass by at 0.2 lunar distances or about 46,000 miles over us.

If it was on a collision course with Earth, then there will be no life ending catastrophe occurring.  The asteroid is too small and would lose its battle with Earth's atmosphere and gravity as it is pulled in.

The force around the asteroid will tear it apart into smaller meteorites that will just light up the sky. Asteroids like 2015 HDI pass by Earth all the time granted not as close.  While Earth's gravity is strong, it cannot compensate for the speed at with these asteroids travel.  Moreover, the outer planets Jupiter, Saturn etc actually protect the Earth by "hurling" these space rocks away from us.

Amateur astronomers can view astroid 2015 HDI with an 8 inch or bigger telescope as it passes by the constellations Hydra, Antlia and Puppis with a magnitude of +13.2.  Enjoy the cosmic wonders if the weather in your area permits it.  




Source:



http://www.universetoday.com/119938/close-encounter-of-the-asteroid-kind-2015-hd1-skims-by-earth-tonight/

http://astronomynow.com/2015/01/17/asteroid-to-fly-close-by-earth-safely-on-26thjanuary/

"Hand of God"

We have just celebrated Epiphany and the subject of stars and space has been on my mind.  Here is a story you might enjoy about them and God.

The "hand of God" nebula was discovered by NASA's Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array or NuSTAR.  This device captures images of high-energy X-rays and other light that typical cameras do not detect.

The telescope captured images of the nebula PSR B1509-58 which are the remains of a star that went supernova and is about 17,000 light years away.  The remains of the star spins about seven times a second releasing gases and other particles outward.

The image is interesting in that is shows a human hand.  One can make out the fingers, hand and even nails.  The reddish area where the fingertips touch is named RCW 89. Many in the scientific community are astounded at the details of this nebula while others dismiss it as pareidolia or apophenia which are psychological phenomenons where the human mind compensates by interpreting random patterns or stimuli into something it can recognize or had prior knowledge of.

In any event, the details of a human hand are too clear and precise so this image can be left up to interpretation. Hongjun An, of McGill University in Montreal had this to say: "We don't know if the hand shape is an optical illusion."  Obviously the image got his attention and he hasn't dismissed it as pareidolia or apophenia.
 
Artists are known to leave their "signature" or mark behind in a work of art.  Could this be God just having fun with creation by leaving the imprint of a hand?  Who knows...  This is why the Catholic Church has always been interested in astronomy and has its own observatory.  The stars remind us of God as creator.  Even before Christianity, religion and philosophy from all over the globe always looked up at the stars to contemplate gods or god.

As Psalm 19:1-4 states:

"The heavens declare the glory of God;

the skies proclaim the work of his hands.

Day after day they pour forth speech;

night after night they reveal knowledge.

They have no speech, they use no words;

no sound is heard from them.

Yet their voice goes out into all the earth,

their words to the ends of the world.

In the heavens God has pitched a tent for the sun"

Source:

http://www.webpronews.com/hand-of-god-found-in-space-simple-nebula-or-proof-of-god-2014-01

http://www.king5.com/news/Hand-of-God-captured-in-NASA-image-239616671.html

http://www.webpronews.com/hand-of-god-nebula-raises-interesting-questions-2014-01

http://www.foxnews.com/science/2014/01/09/hand-god-spotted-by-nasa-space-telescope/

https://search.yahoo.com/search?cs=bz&p=Hand%20of%20God&fr=fp-tts-313&fr2=ps&woeid=2396250