The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. – Psalm 19:1
Last month, millions of people gathered in various states to witness a solar eclipse. For solar physicists, it was an exciting time to view the corona of the sun like they’d never been able to do before. Only when the moon fully blocks the sun can the sun’s atmosphere be observed, as particles shoot away from the sun’s surface. New optical technology has allowed scientists to see very intricate structures of the sun’s rays, with spectrometers allowing prism-like splitting of the colors of the corona, revealing their temperatures.
Astrophysicists from NASA used the eclipse opportunity to develop advanced and previously unknown information on solar winds.
Father John Kartje, rector and president of the University of St. Mary of the Lake in Illinois, who holds a doctorate in astrophysics from the University of Chicago, said in an interview, “As extraordinary as an eclipse is, it’s simply the natural world behaving in the way the one and only God who created it set it up to behave.” He added, “But I think anything that can give us a little jaw-dropping awe and wonder to stop us in our tracks — to quiet and silence the din and buzz of everyday busyness — can be a great opportunity to reflect on God’s grandeur.”
Scientists say everything we know and everything we see is still just 5 percent of the universe. From Earth’s earliest ages when humans looked to the sky and marveled at the Milky Way to today’s high technology stunning images from the Hubbel and James Webb telescopes, God has given a “smidge” of His imperial glory. Imagine that—there remains 95 percent left to behold! The knowledge of Him and all that He is remains unsearchable (Romans 11:33-36). Pray for those in the scientific community to have their spiritual eyes opened to the glory of God, give honor to Him, and choose to follow Him.
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