Tiny Flickers Overhead

Photo by K. Hartnett

Tiny flickers overhead,

Torches from a thousand ages,

Now at length your work is done,

In my heart, igniting praises.

K. Hartnett, August 1997

He counts the number of stars and gives names to all of them. Great is our Lord and abundant in strength; His understanding is infinite. (Psalm 147:4,5)

The Summer Milky Way; Stars Like Ocean Sands
Best seen from dark skies on late summer nights, the magnificent glowing band called the Milky Way stretches majestically from horizon to horizon.  This view shows some of the Milky Way north of the prominent constellation of Cygnus the Swan.  The band is actually comprised of a seemingly countless number of individual stars spread across the immense distances of outer space.  Astronomers estimate that some 100 to 200 billion stars populate the Milky Way Galaxy.  The bright star to the right in this photo is called Deneb, an ancient name meaning "tail" as it marks the tail of the Swan.  It is one of the most luminous stars in the sky.  Fully 60,000 times more luminous than the Sun, this star is estimated to be nearly 1600 light years distant (9.6 thousand trillion miles!)  If it were as close as the bright winter star Sirius, it would rival the full moon in brightness.  The red cloud next to Deneb is called the North American Nebula because of its distinctive shape 

For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His loving kindness toward those who fear Him. (Psalm 103:11)

Looking out into space is like looking into the past.  The light from the stars we see has been en route to us for tens, hundreds, even thousands of years.  Each travels a different length of time depending on the star's distance from us.  Of course stars are not really tiny flickers at all, but enormous globes of fire, hundreds of thousands of miles across.  They brilliantly illuminate like torches the otherwise jet black expanse of outer space.  This little poem celebrates the wonder of this reality, and the effect it has on me when rightly comprehended.

Comments

[shelah rote]

This reminded me of a quote I found in that book "Heaven" by Randy Alcorn - he was quoting Ralph Waldo Emerson:

"If man would be alone,
let him look at the stars.
The rays that come from those heavenly worlds,
will separate between him
and what he touches.

One might think the atmosphere was made transparent with this design, to give man, in the heavenly bodies, the perpetual presence of the sublime.

Seen in the streets of cities, how great they are!

If the stars should appear one night in a thousand years, how would men believe and adore; and preserve for many generations the remembrance of the city of God which had been shown!

But every night come out these envoys of beauty,
and light the universe with their admonishing smile."

~ Ralph Waldo Emerson