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As Hoagy Carmichael noted, stardust surrounds us

05 Feb 2012 - Preaching the News for Sunday

In praising God, the psalmist reminds us this Sunday that God “tells the number of the stars” and “calls each by name.” Modern astronomers use less poetic language to speak about the heavens, but their discoveries are nonetheless fascinating. It turns out, for instance, that our solar system travels through space in a protective bubble called the heliosphere that is moving through an intergalactic cloud of gas. A NASA robotic probe sampling particles flowing into our solar system from the galactic neighborhood shows we're living in a cloud--and likely to stay that way for a long time. The measurements from NASA's Interstellar Boundary Explorer, or IBEX, spacecraft include the first direct samplings of hydrogen, oxygen, and neon that didn't come from the sun or anywhere else in the solar system. The gases streamed into the solar system from the galactic surroundings, which right now contain a tenuous wispy cloud in which our system is enveloped. Though zipping along at a hearty 52,000 mph, the flow of intergalactic particles is slower than expected, meaning the solar system will be in a cloud for hundreds or thousands of years. The composition of the gases in the cloud raise questions about where the solar system’s mass came from. "The local cloud is actually somewhat different in composition than the sun and the Milky Way as a whole,” said University of New Hampshire physicist Eberhard Möbius. "That leaves us with a puzzle for now.” Sources: Articles by Irene Klotz for Discovery News and by Agence France Presse

nasa solar system milky way eberhard möbius interstellar boundary explorer ibex heliosphere

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Earth to feel the heat from solar flare

14 Sep 2014 - Preaching the News for Sunday

Jesus explains to Nicodemus in this Sunday’s gospel the unique origin of “the one who has come down from heaven.” The heavens are also the place of origin of unique events called extreme solar flares, and one that is blasting its way to Earth this week could mess up some power grids, satellites, and radio transmissions, scientists say.It's been several years since Earth has had a solar storm of this size coming from sunspots smack in the middle of the sun, said Tom Berger, director of the Space Weather Prediction Center in Boulder, Colorado. What makes this one more worrisome is its location on the sun along with its strength, he said."There's been a giant magnetic explosion on the sun," Berger said. "Because it's pointed right at us, we'll at least catch some of the cloud" of highly energized and magnetized plasma that can disrupt Earth's magnetic sphere, which sometimes leads to temporary power grid problems.Forecasters don't yet know when Wednesday's solar storm will arrive here and which part of the planet will be facing the sun and bear the brunt of the effects. Berger said scientists will have a better idea after they get more satellite data. The first part of the storm, which arrives in only a few minutes, has already affected radio transmissions. It can also damage satellites.The flare is considered "extreme" on forecasters' scale, Berger said. On the plus side, sun flares expand the colorful northern lights so people farther south can see them.Homily hint: In ages past, celestial events were interpreted as signs of divine guidance or judgment. Today we have sophisticated instruments to predict and measure such events. Nonetheless, an element of mystery remains when it comes to events in the heavens. All the more reason that we don’t lose sight of the Creator of it all. Humility is called for. Source: An article by Seth Bornstein for Associated Press

Humility solar system

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