"The Hand of God?"

[Harry Monroe]

Cosmic Hand Reaches for the Light

Tiny and dying but still-powerful stars called pulsars spin like crazy and light up their surroundings, often with ghostly glows. So it is with PSR B1509-58, which long ago collapsed into a sphere just 12 miles in diameter after running out of fuel.

And what a strange scene this one has created.

In a new image from NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory, high-energy X-rays emanating from the nebula around PSR B1509-58 have been colored blue to reveal a structure resembling a hand reaching for some eternal red cosmic light.

The star now spins around at the dizzying pace of seven times every second -- as pulsars do -- spewing energy into space that creates the scene.

Strong magnetic fields, 15 trillion times stronger than the Earth's magnetic field, are thought to be involved, too. The combination drives an energetic wind of electrons and ions away from the dying star. As the electrons move through the magnetized nebula, they radiate away their energy as X-rays.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/space/20090405/sc_space/cosmichandreachesforthelight

[maxsolomon]

1. well, that proves that the OT is the literal word of God

case closed.

:sarcasm: , durr.

[stopbush]

2. Unless that pulsar is searing an image of Jesus on a piece of toast

I wouldn't consider this to be the work of god.

:evilgrin:

[soothsayer]

3. when i was really little i told a friend first there was nothing, and then two fingers appeared

and they snapped, and God appeared (and created everything else) and that scientists were still searching for those two fingers.

Found 'em!

[tridim]

4. I feel bad for other worlds that see this ordinary cloud of dust from a different angle

I bet it looks like satan to them. :eyes:

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

5. beautiful!

and the Creation that makes this possible is Beauty itself (Ya Jamil).

[nomorenomore08]

6. Wow... that is unbelievably trippy...

I think I need to step away from my computer for a moment, lest I trigger an acid flashback. :P

[Dead_Parrot]

7. The real question is...

...who chopped his arm off?



:evilgrin:

[Benfea]

8. The human capacity for pattern recognition is amazing, isn't it?

There are still people who swear up and down that that rock formation on Mars is evidence of an extra-terrestrial civilization.

[Lithos]

9. It's blue

Has to be the work of Dr. Manhattan.

[laconicsax]

10. Wondeful non sequitur

These X-rays vaguely look like a hand--the Abrahamic god exists.

[RagAss]

11. Looks like a devil with 3 horns to me..........BOOOOOOOOOO !

[montanto]

12. "Don't stand there gawpin',

Like you've never seen the 'and of God before!!"

[Thor_MN]

13. Rotate it 90 degrees clockwise

and there's rather buxom young lass, with a pointy eared imp licking her ear...