Surrounded by Beauty and Wonders: T Tauri Stars and Nebulae

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ESA/Hubble, R. Sahai and NASA's image from Hubble Space Telescope: reflection nebula IRAS 05437+2502, from the Wide Field Channel of the Advanced Camera for Surveys, created from images taken through yellow (F606W) and near-infrared (F814W) filters. (2010)

"...All of us dwell under the same sky. All of us are moved by the beauty revealed in the cosmos and reflected in the study of the heavenly bodies and substances. In this sense, we are united by the desire to discover the truth about how this marvellous universe operates; and in this, we draw ever closer to the Creator...."
(Address to Participants in the Summer Course of the Vatican Observatory, Pope Francis (June 11, 2016))

My interest in science started as a fascination with dinosaurs. By the time I left high school, that fascination included astronomy, physics, cosmology, and more.

My academic specialties were history and English, but I never lost my intense interest in pretty much everything else.

That didn't change when I became a Catholic — partly because where my faith is involved, paying attention to the wonders and beauty surrounding us isn't a problem.

More at A Catholic Citizen in America.

(Images of T Tauri stars HP Tau, XZ Tauri, IRAS 05437+2502, and the IRAS Ghost Nebula. Science, faith, and why paying attention to this universe makes sense.)

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