Astronomy has always awed me. I have a minimum tolerance for Science in general, except for astronomy, which never cease to amaze me. I might not have the patience to remember the difference between and meteor and a meteorite, or even an asteroid, but I am always overwhelmed with the grandeur of the entire universe.
So while browsing the internet this morning, I chanced upon this website featuring 12 gorgeous images from space (see here) by Katherine Gray. The pictures there were taken from the NASA website (check it out here). My four-year-old kid was looking at my monitor when I was browsing this, and he seemed genuinely interested when he saw the pics. I then explained about stars, about the earth's rotation, and the outer space, and I'm sure that even if he only understood bits of what I told him, he would remember them and ask me again about it some other time when his neurons are able to comprehend these concepts more.
In order to complete OUR viewing pleasure, I checked out NASA's website and saw jaw-dropping pictures that I could really not believe are real. They are THAT amazing. So I'm sharing some photos with you.
| These are dunes in the Noachis Region, Planet Mars. Image Credit: NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory California Institute of Techonolgy http://www.jpl.nasa.gov |
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| This is Cat's Eye Nebula which lies 3,000 light years from Earth. How far is that? Scientists say that this is quite near the Earth. Hmmm... Image Credit: NASA |
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| Butterfly wings? Nopes. This is the Bug or Butterfly Nebula, a dying star. The colorful image is that of gases in a state of turbulence that are heated to more than 36,000 degrees Fahrenheit. Enough to toast a planet in one second, I guess. Image Credit: NASA |
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| Two cosmonauts on a spacewalk, taken on Feb. 16, 2012. Image credit: NASA |
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These stars carve deep cavities in their surrounding material by unleashing a torrent of ultraviolet light and hurricane-force stellar winds. The blue color is light from the hottest, most massive stars; the green from the glow of ofygen; and the red from fluorescing hyrdogen. Image and Caption Credit: NASA |
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| Interacting Spiral Galaxies NGC 2207 and IC 2163. Looks like "owl eyes" to me. Image Credit: Hubblesite (hubblesite.org) |
Looking at photos like these reminds me that I am really just a speck in this universe. This also reminds me that there is a God up there who made all these; and man is just here to capture all the universe's beauty.
I would have wanted to post more, but I leave you to search on your own. For fantastic photos, just check out these websites: http://www.nasa.gov, http://hubblesite.org, http://www.jpl.nasa.gov.
For parents out there, if you have some time in your hands, I believe this is the best way to capture your kids' attention and introduce them to the concept of space, astronomy and the universe. The pictures are really a visual experience, so unlike the white dots that see up the sky at night. This allows them to enhance their imagination of out space. Who knows, through this, you might be rearing a future Einstein!
Peace!
For parents out there, if you have some time in your hands, I believe this is the best way to capture your kids' attention and introduce them to the concept of space, astronomy and the universe. The pictures are really a visual experience, so unlike the white dots that see up the sky at night. This allows them to enhance their imagination of out space. Who knows, through this, you might be rearing a future Einstein!
Peace!
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