Sometimes there’s science, sometimes there’s faith and sometimes — heck, many times — the two intersect in memorable ways. Like this:
The incredible images that emerged from the March 9th total solar eclipse were impressive enough. But now Nasa has gone one better by creating a composite view of the eclipse that makes the sun look like the Eye of Sauron in Lord of the Rings.
The composite image shows the solar corona, which is an aura of plasma that surrounds the sun and extends millions of miles into space, as seen during the solar eclipse from both Earth and space. The blue part of the image shows the total eclipse from the ground, with the central pupil created by the bright sun covered by a comparatively dark moon.
Surrounding the blocked solar disk is the tenuous corona of sun imaged in white light. The red section was viewed from space, acquired by the sun-orbiting Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) spacecraft.
In other words, that’s not really a picture of a giant eye in the sky, gazing down at puny humanity. But so what? It’s good to be reminded from time to time that we really are just tiny motes in an infinite universe –but that somebody Up There might actually be watching over us.
Whether he’s God or Sauron remains to be seen.