Photo by NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory
The original email that came to me from Earth/Sky.org is about a double eclipse caught on camera by the SDO satellite. (NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory) The SDO has been positioned to observe the sun and capture data. From SDO’s perspective, there are two eclipses per year. But this time, on Sept. 1, they caught a double eclipse in which both the moon and the earth crossed in front of the sun. The sun, moon, earth in a line–how cool is that?
Well, I never got to see the video of the eclipse because my search was eclipsed by this video of the sun. NASA has been observing the sun for 6 years and they offer us a time-lapse view of 3 years in a 3 minute video. It is so beautiful and enchanting.
What kind of a God do we have anyway? It is amazing to contemplate both His care for us, and the amazing physics that have gone into creating a burning fireball in order to give us warmth, light, photosynthesis, a calendar, and gravitational physics that gives us rotation, planetary neighbors, orbit, seasons. … !!!
How can anyone ever doubt the existence of God when we see His power so magnificently displayed and we contemplate the intricacies of planning that have gone into creating galaxies and human bodies and living systems and love? If He can do this, how much more able is He to do something that He greatly desires–that is, to save us from the destruction of sin?
We don’t get to see the sun, so this is an amazing chance to really look at it and wonder anew at the majesty of God!
Enjoy!
This first link contains 2 videos. At the top of the page is the eclipse. Then, if you scroll down, you can watch the 3 minute video of the sun
Earthsky.org: SDO Sees a Double Eclipse
This second link is for a high-definition video lasting 6 minutes and covering 1 year observation of the sun. The last 3 minutes are narrated with some information about the sun’s properties and the activity of the SDO. If you have the ability, watch it on a big screen!
