Our Place in This Galaxy Is so Small, yet, God Loves Each of Us as if We Were the Only Ones in It.
“The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament proclaims his handiwork.” — Psalm 19:2
First images captured in infrared light by NASA's new James Webb Space Telescope: this landscape of “mountains” and “valleys” speckled with glittering stars is actually the edge of a nearby, young, star-forming region called NGC 3324 in the Carina Nebula. This image reveals for the first time previously invisible areas of star birth. Credits: NASA, ESA, CSA, and STScI
The Psalmist has it right: There is great beauty to be found in the skies — and in all of creation! Last week, NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope offered a glimpse of that glory, in the deepest and sharpest infrared images of the distant universe ever seen. Going beyond the twinkling little stars that have captured our hearts and minds since childhood, Webb revealed a glittering landscape of stars and cosmic cliffs, entire galaxies.
The striking images on NASA’s website captivate viewers with bluish stars from our own galaxy, the Milky Way. With spikes of light stretching across space, the starlight spills around the mechanism holding the telescope’s mirrors in place.
The striking images on NASA’s website captivate viewers with bluish stars from our own galaxy, the Milky Way. With spikes of light stretching across space, the starlight spills around the mechanism holding the telescope’s mirrors in place.
To create a telescope with such mind-boggling capabilities, NASA partnered with the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA). Together, they celebrated the dawn of a new era in astronomy, offering a view never before seen. Gregg Robinson, Webb program director at NASA’s headquarters, celebrated the unveiling of the images, promising: “The beautiful diversity and incredible detail of the Webb telescope’s images and data will have a profound impact on our understanding of the universe and inspire us to dream big.”
But more than leading us to imagine our future accomplishments, the unveiling of NASA’s new images inspires us to turn our hearts and minds to the Creator who envisioned all of this.
But more than leading us to imagine our future accomplishments, the unveiling of NASA’s new images inspires us to turn our hearts and minds to the Creator who envisioned all of this.
Brother Guy Consolmagno, a Jesuit astronomer and Director of the Vatican Observatory who spoke at the 2018 Assembly of Catholic Professionals for the Catholic Foundation of Oklahoma, issued a statement expressing his excitement about the telescope’s new images: “Such images are a necessary food for the human spirit — we do not live by bread alone — especially in these times.” Brother Guy went on to praise the scientists who built the instruments and planned the observations, many of whom are his personal friends, and called it a “tribute to the human spirit, what we can do when we work together.”
May the James Webb Space Telescope's revelation of the inestimable beauty of the cosmos lead many down that path of discovery to see, not only the wonders of creation, but also the ineffable beauty of God.
Source: Schiffer, Kathy. “James Webb Space Telescope: Pondering the Universe and Pondering the Creator.” National Catholic Register, 14 July 2022, https://www.ncregister.com/blog/james-webb-space-telescope-pondering-the-universe-and-pondering-the-creator.
First Images from the James Webb Space Telescope (Official NASA Video)
EWTN Interviews NASA's James Webb Space Telescope Project Manager, Bill Ochs
NASA's new space telescope has unveiled the deepest look of the cosmos ever captured. Bill Ochs tells us more about what we are seeing in these incredible images.
“May this image from deep space remind us of the Awesome God who breathes us into being even as we gaze on the wonder of His creation. May we be inspired to return to the path of Light that shines from Jesus His Son.”
Known as Webb’s First Deep Field, this image of galaxy cluster SMACS 0723 is overflowing with detail. Thousands of galaxies – including the faintest objects ever observed in the infrared – have appeared in Webb’s view for the first time. This slice of the vast universe covers a patch of sky approximately the size of a grain of sand held at arm’s length by someone on the ground.
Credits: NASA, ESA, CSA, and STScI
Faith and reason are like two wings on which the human spirit rises to the contemplation of truth.
Georges Lemaître: The Priest and Scientist Who Discovered the Big Bang Theory
Did you know that Georges Lemaître, the scientist who discovered the big bang theory, was a Catholic priest? Prof. Jonathan Lunine, a professor from Cornell University, shares the little-known story of Fr. Georges Lemaître, the father of the big bang theory.
From MIT to Specola Vaticana: Guy Consolmagno at the 2018 Catholic Foundation of Oklahoma's Assembly of Catholic Professionals
Brother Guy Consolmagno, a Jesuit astronomer and Director of the Vatican Observatory, spoke a few years ago here in OKC weaving stories about science and seeing things in new ways. He is the curator of the Vatican meteorite collection, which is one of the largest in the world. He earned a degree from MIT and did post-doctorate work at MIT and the Harvard College Observatory. In 2000, he was honored by the International Astronomical Union for his contributions to the study of meteorites and asteroids with the naming of “Asteroid 4597 Consolmagno”.
Resources to Learn More About the Beautiful Relationship of Science, Faith, and Reason
- The Vatican Observatory is an institution established by the Holy See for astronomical research and public outreach to advance the scientific understanding of our universe. They have established the Faith and Science Resource Center with a collection of hundreds of articles, videos, and audio files on the topic of Faith and Science.
- A "short" list of Catholic Cleric-Scientists and Catholic Lay Scientists who have made major contributions to science. When you encounter people who say the Church is anti-science, kindly show them this list.
- The Magis Center co-founded by Fr. Robert Spitzer, S.J., Ph.D., a Jesuit priest and former President of Gonzaga University, provides comprehensive and systematic responses to restore, reconstruct, and revitalize belief in God, the transcendent dignity of every person, the significance of virtue, the higher levels of happiness, love, and freedom, and the real presence of Jesus Christ.
- God and Modern Physics—A 12-Part Series: What Can Science Tell Us About Creation and Design presented by Fr. Robert Spitzer and based on his book, "New Proofs for the Existence of God."
- The Pontifical Academy of Sciences is distinctive in its kind because it is the only supranational academy of sciences in the world. Founded in Rome on 17 August 1603 as the first exclusively scientific academy in the world to which Galileo Galilei was appointed member on 25 August 1610. Its mission is to honor pure science wherever it may be found, ensure its freedom and encourage research for the progress of science.
- Reason, Faith, & Science utilizes video, audio, and written commentary from Bishop Robert Barron, and the stories of the many heroes of faith who helped found modern science. Its aim to dispel the myth, and bring one of the best-kept secrets of history to light: that religion and science are compatible and complementary paths to truth.
- Credible Catholic helps equip parents and educators with trustworthy resources and proven best practices to blend contemporary apologetics into online, in-person, or at-home classrooms creating deep and meaningful conversations with youth, students, and the secular world.
- Faith and Reason | Catholic Central In this episode, Kai and Libby break down the different tools that the Church uses for finding different kinds of truth, and where Faith comes in.
- Ave Explores: Faith and Science by Ave Maria Press for deep conversations about how science and faith work together to reveal the truth. You will learn from Catholic scientists and experts from a variety of fields including bioethics, astronomy, and climate science how science and God are not the opposing forces that they sometimes seem to be.
- Church and Science share and educate people on social media about the vast technological and scientific contribution of the Church to the world done by its clergy and lay members.
- Brilliant! 25 Catholic Scientists, Mathematicians, and Supersmart People. This book introduces children to many of the Catholics who have been behind groundbreaking discoveries in science and math for centuries. They will embark on an adventure through history where they’ll meet faith-filled pioneers in every field from anatomy to astrophysics. They will walk in the footsteps of these supersmart Catholics who changed the world and learn how brilliant they can be when they unite faith and science!
“When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them? You have made them a little lower than the angels and crowned them with glory and honor.” — Psalm 8:3-5
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