"nothing" is NOTHING

You hear folks say it all the time: "Oh, that's nothing."
The scientists with the Hubble telescope wanted to see if that was true. Specifically, they wanted to see if a place in space that LOOKED empty really was. That is, a space that looked empty not just to our bare eyes but to those of this powerful lens. So, back in 2002, they pointed the magnificent instrument toward just such a place near the constellation known as Ursa Major. For ten days - TEN DAYS - of valuable time, the scope was pointed at "nothing", collecting data from "nothing", in an experiment which many thought to be a waste of resources.
But, when the collector plate was developed, the "empty space" was FULL of galaxies. There wasn't 'nothing" there, there was a lot of SOMETHING.
To paraphrase Jack Skellington, "Just because I cannot see it, doesn't mean I can't believe it!" The only thing which has nothing is a vacuum... but it's difficult to get a true vacuum that is completely void of all molecules.
The same holds true for space. When we see a velvety black spot amid the twinkling bits of starlight and moondust, that spot is actually full of stars - no, of entire galaxies of stars - that our eyes cannot detect. Just because we cannot detect something with our five (or even six) senses, doesn't mean something isn't there.
The scientists repeated their experiment two years later, this time pointing at a different bit of darkness and allowing the collector to gather data for three months. That's right, THREE MONTHS of the scope doing ONE experiment. The results are the Hubble Ultra Deep Field. Amazing... and quite humbling to those who are only too well aware of our bumbling efforts on this one, truly special, magical planet. We are so blessed to be living in such a heavenly site.

butterfly

As I was diddy-bopping through some of my bookmarks this evening, I stumbled across one I had forgotten: images from the Hubble Space telescope. Incredibly beautiful pictures of other worlds, of our world, of galaxies which are truly far away.
The featured image is of the Butterfly Nebula. Quite striking, is it not? How amazing it must have been for the astronomers who first saw this otherworldly, incandescent insect. Can you imagine? Downloading data from the instrument and having THIS appear? Not only are the wings clearly evidenced, but the dark, fuzzy body is also well-defined. What thoughts would such an image evoke when viewed from one's spacecraft hurtling in its direction?
How amazing if the butterfly were actually in the vicinity of the Rosette Nebula! Bearing in mind that space is more vast than the mind can comprehend, perhaps a distance of some hundred light-years is no greater than that between oceans on this pretty blue-green orb. Given the correct perspective, of course.
Sometimes, I wish I could see more of the stars which light the sky, not just at night but at all times. We must take care to remember that bit: the stars are always there, even when you cannot see them. Beloved friends and family are, like stars, always in your personal galaxy, even though great distances of either space or time may intervene.
I have other pictures from this site which I'm going to add to my beach. After all, it is MY beach, MY world, and I can populate it as I will. Things of beauty are always welcome here, with "beauty" being defined by MY eyes.