‘Hand of God’ Reaches the Stars in Breathtaking Telescope Image Similar to Famous Sistine Chapel Painting
Scientists claim to have seen ‘God’s Hand’ reaching for the stars 1,300 light-years from Earth.
This discovery is not a miracle, but simply the latest telescope images of a huge structure known as the CG 4 cometary globule.
The incredible structure was spotted by the Dark Energy Camera on the US National Science Foundation’s Victor M. Blanco 4-meter telescope.
The dusty expanse of the sphere is normally hidden in darkness, but these images reveal the ominous red glow of excited hydrogen lighting it from within.
The National Optical-Infrared Astronomy Research Laboratory (NOIRLAb) says: ‘In the constellation Puppis, a ghostly hand appears to emerge from the interstellar medium and reach out into the cosmos.’
Normally, God’s Hand is too faint to see with even the best telescopes, but the Dark Energy Camera can pick up the glow of ionized gases from the dust clouds. These images show where the bubble is located in the Gum Nebula
CG 4 appears to emerge from the pink clouds of the nearby Gum Nebula.
With its distinct arm-like appearance, this impressive cosmic structure has earned the nickname ‘God’s Hand’.
But while some might say these telescope images look like the Sistine Chapel, fans of science fiction might notice a striking resemblance to the sandworms from Dune.
The ‘head’ of the comet ball is often compared to the gaping mouth of a large beast.
This comparison is all the more appropriate because the ‘worm’ appears to be in the process of consuming a small galaxy nearby.
There is no reason to worry, however, as the galaxy – named ESO 257-19 – is actually more than 100 million light-years behind CG 4.
Although this structure is known as a cometary globule, it is actually unrelated to comets that have a different shape.
Rather, these strange formations form a subclass of dark nebulae known as Bok globules: dense clouds of cosmic dust and gas surrounded by hot, ionized material.
The comet ball CG 4 has been nicknamed ‘God’s Hand’ and bears a strong resemblance to the painting of God and Adam from the Sistine Chapel
Fans of science fiction may notice a striking resemblance to the sandworms from the Dune films (pictured)
Although a 1.5 light-year head and an 8 light-year tail may seem enormous, it is actually quite small by Bok spheroid standards.
Comet balls are also usually very faint and therefore extremely difficult for astronomers to study. They have only been recognized since 1976.
However, when massive, hot stars bombard the sphere with intense radiation, the hydrogen in the gas clouds begins to glow.
In a blog post revealing the images, NOIRLAb writes: ‘Their tails, shrouded in dark stellar dust, block out most light.
‘But with its special hydrogen alpha filter, DECam (Dark Energy Camera) can pick up the faint red glow of ionized hydrogen present in CG 4’s head and around its outer edge.’
This same radiation gradually wears away the head of CG 4, while small particles are continually swept away.
However, NOIRLAb notes that CG 4’s head still contains enough gas to fuel several Sun-sized stars.
No one knows exactly why comet balls like CG 4 have their distinctive shapes, but their location may provide some clues.
Although it is called a cometary globule, this structure actually has nothing to do with comets. Rather, it is a dense, dark ball of gas and dust with a long tail
The vast majority of all cometary balls known to science are in and around the Gum Nebula.
This nebula, believed to be the remains of a supernova explosion about a million years ago, is home to at least 31 other cometary globules.
One theory suggests that structures like the Hand of God may have started out as spherical nebulae and have since been pushed out of shape by the explosion of a supernova.
The second theory suggests that they are formed by stellar winds and radiation pressure from nearby stars.
Some scientists suggest that the Vela Pulsar, a rapidly spinning neutron star formed by the collapse of a massive star, could be responsible.
The pressure and radiation from this incredibly hot star may have been enough to push a once spherical dust cloud into this comet-like shape.
NOIRLab writes: “In fact, all cometary globules found in the Gum Nebula appear to have a tail pointing away from the center of the nebula, where the Vela Supernova Remnant and the Vela Pulsar are located.”
SUPERNOVAE ARE CREATED WHEN A GIANT STAR EXPLODES
A supernova occurs when a star explodes, shooting debris and particles into space.
A supernova only burns for a short time, but can tell scientists a lot about how the universe began.
One type of supernova has shown scientists that we live in an expanding universe, a universe that is growing faster and faster.
Scientists have also determined that supernovae play a key role in the distribution of elements throughout the universe.
In 1987, astronomers discovered a ‘titanic supernova’ in a nearby galaxy, shining with the power of more than 100 million suns (pictured)
There are two known types of supernova.
The first type occurs in binary star systems when one of the two stars, a white carbon-oxygen dwarf, steals matter from its companion star.
Eventually, the white dwarf accumulates too much matter, causing the star to explode, resulting in a supernova.
The second type of supernova occurs at the end of a single star’s lifespan.
When the star runs out of nuclear fuel, some of its mass flows into the core.
Eventually the core is so heavy that it can no longer support its own gravity and the core collapses, resulting in another gigantic explosion.
Many elements found on Earth are made in the cores of stars, and these elements travel on to form new stars, planets, and everything else in the universe.