How stars are born

brian peterson, portland, maine — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 23:56:11 GMT

This is just so amazing- that people from earth can understand and explain these tremendous happenings trilions of light years away, is just so indicative of what man can accomplish if he sets his mind to it. Thsee scientists should be as well known as sports or music stars. Too bad they are not, and it's an indictment of our society because they are not.

How stars are born

Darlene, Mandeville, LA — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 01:08:01 GMT

Wow!

How stars are born

Vernon, Atlanta, GA — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 01:30:13 GMT

Just what is the gas and dust they keep talking about>
I thought stars were fusion reacting hydrogen,

How stars are born

Irene Newcombe, Goldcoast, Australia — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 01:37:18 GMT

Mind boggling!!!! Just what a wonderful creator we have to have produced such magnificence both here on our planet as well as the rest of the universe! I am not an academic and don't really understand it all except that I know there is a force - call it God,Budda, whatever, who is responsible for all this - including the wonderful scientists who are clever enough to figure it out to this stage - WELL DONE.

How stars are born

Bob Boucher, Hudson, Maine — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 01:40:32 GMT

Our solar system is located in an arm of a spiral galaxy from which we can observe events of what we call the big bang. Is it possible that the big bang is, in itself, located in an arm of a yet unknown galixy

How stars are born

Dr. JoAnna Graller Davenport, Iowa 52804 — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 01:45:50 GMT

Awesome, absolutely awesome! I wonder what Galileo would think if he saw todays incredible advances in Science! How tragic his ending--and how narrow the minds of the Church to stifle the advances of genius!
Sad at best--when I think of how religion has done so much harm to the advancement of real scientific knowledge:when they could embrace the wonderful gifts of our Creator. Sometimes small minds do much to destroy great ones! Jealousy perhaps, ignorance or just plain stupidity! ?

How stars are born

Chris, Terre Haute, IN — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 01:48:07 GMT

Correct me if I'm wrong. The gas clears away as it forms a new star. How do we know that the dust forms the star. Could it be that the star is already formed, but not visible due to it being behind the cloud. As the cloud clears, the star becomes visible. Science and creation do not have to be separate. Common sense tells anyone that either could be the case. Only the evolutionist would surmise that it must be a new star forming. Just a thought.

How stars are born

jandy, Forth Worth, TX — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 01:51:12 GMT

wow! i saw a shooting star and i wished on it and the next day it came true and so i really think that this is cool even though i am not a science freak this is cool and i really want ot go to space but i am not going to never do it i know for sure that i wont because i dont want to spend all my life till im 50 and then find out that i cant so i wont but that would be cool if i went without studying!!!!!!!!!=]=]
please respond to my message if you want that would be awesome and great and cooL!!!!!!!

How stars are born

Travis Conroy, Minneapolis,MN — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 02:02:56 GMT

You are absolutely right!!!! Our world is dying and finding a new place to live is our only option

How stars are born

Jack Nashville Tn — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 02:08:51 GMT

And the point is? Can we put NASA down for a rest for a few years and spend the money on something in America. The U.S.A. is operating at a big deficit and NASA people create work projects to justify their jobs. Can we spend the billions at better places, maybe for humans? Robots and camera's have shown all we may see for quite sometime. How about using their budget on alternative fuels and maybe for a national sset up of alternative gas fueling stations. Carbon atom type not ethanol.

How stars are born

Tom Hamilton — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 02:13:03 GMT

These scientists will never be famous because what they do requires a quashing of the ego and lots of brain power. Anyway, its all about marvelling at the Creator.

How stars are born

Antonio Gonzalez, Dallas, TX. — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 02:14:26 GMT

Can the human really understand how amazing,... is the universe ???

How stars are born

M. Jones Birmingham, Ala. — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 02:18:14 GMT

"Except", as a lot of things perceived to be correct "now" may in the future be said, "well that's not really what's happening at all, here is what we "think" is really happening. ..................................

How stars are born

Seashells, Fox Island WA — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 02:18:37 GMT

God's wands at work! He is truly awesome!

How stars are born

Jeff Newton, Billings MT — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 02:19:04 GMT

Amazing how the more we learn, the more I look up at the stars with wonderment and total awe.

How stars are born

God — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 02:31:51 GMT

You ain't seen nothin' yet.

How stars are born

Jim Mike, Pittsburgh, PA — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 02:41:51 GMT

And there is still so much that we don't know.

How stars are born

Kirby — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 02:43:52 GMT

In my very humble opinion, what is most fascinating about the Hubble image is that we're looking at something that happened 11 billion years ago.

How stars are born

Phil Muncie, IN — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 02:48:48 GMT

To: Jack Nashville Tn,
You suffer from a common misconception.
NASA brings in more money than it spends, but the gain does not show up on NASA's books. Cutting NASA's funding costs us more than the amount gained by the cut.

How stars are born

Dave — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 02:50:04 GMT

No the human can never really understand how amazing the universe really is because the human mind can't really comprehend infinity. And what problems we will solve as soon as we quit looking for a big bang. Budha is everthing and everything is Budha. It truely is marveling at the creator not the created.

How stars are born

John Doe, San Diego, CA — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 02:51:05 GMT

Can we please dispense with "The Creator" bit. Here's a question for those with religious backgrounds. How created the creator? If he/she is an eternal being then why did he/she wait so long to create the universe? It's the old question, "Which came first? The chicken or the egg?" Oh wait I forgot you guys already have that covered. The Creator simply snapped his/her whatever and poof, both came into existence at once. All that physical evidence supporting evolution was intentionally left behind by The Creator to winnow out all of those pesky infidels. My bad.

How stars are born

Bob & Jean Anderson — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 02:54:05 GMT

It is amazing what GOD can create! Wow!

How stars are born

Lilly Charnas — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 02:57:08 GMT

Unbelievable. Thank you so much for this gripping account of our Universe!

How stars are born

Adriel, San Diego CA. — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 03:02:56 GMT

"The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork." -Psalm 19:1

How stars are born

Scott G., Bellevue, Wa — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 03:08:17 GMT

Ok...you are getting a bit carried away. This is actually nothing but what we can see.
I would rather see pictures finally identifying anti-matter, 6th-12th dimensions, or my great grandma. Now that would be news worthly of a sport's star or movie actor.

How stars are born

Jack, Nashville, Tn. — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 03:17:57 GMT

To Phil in Muncie - Your opinion. Same old argument as our local city government. The tax money generated will pay for the convention center and not cost property owners anything, but maybe 20%. Oh, we were wrong, we need an increase. Space shuttles end in 2010 and we are back to rockets and capsules. And pictures from, what do you guys say, ah. oh, 11 billion years ago. Cool, pass the pipe. I say lets build some new natural gas pumps at the local market so we can keep $700 billion from going to the middle east and to other places we have gone. Let the engineers work on that problem for a few years and then go back to taking pictures of nebula's.

How stars are born

Stanleythecosmicmessenger — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 03:34:51 GMT

If you look closely at the third pic ("cosmic eye")on the upper arc, I swear you can see the letters, "brought to you by GE"!!! Amazing their reach extends into the cosmos!!

How stars are born

Alan Holyoak — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 03:48:09 GMT

The deep "lookback" time and dynamic nature of the universe indicated in these observations is mind-boggling and exciting. The effect of massive bodies on Einstein's spacetime is also extremely cool, as is the observation on red-shift and rotation of the young galaxy!

And, the most impressive thing about this research is that it helps us come closer to a true understanding of how things work - the goal of science. And, by the way, truth is truth, regardless of its source... revelation or scientific discovery...and all things that really are true will fit together once we truly understand how everything works, so there's no sense butting heads on that acocunt. Science and faith can and should co-exist.

How stars are born

Bill, Rogers, AR — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 03:52:01 GMT

To: Jack in Nashville
Phil in Muncie is right. NASA receives less that one percent of the US budget. Many of the technological advances we have today come from NASA. We need to continue investing in space science and exploration.

How stars are born

Phil Muncie, IN — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 03:54:51 GMT

To: Jack Nashville Tn,
The money DOES show up on government books, just not on NASA's books. I'll see if I can find you a reference.

How stars are born

Jerry S Jones — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 03:55:12 GMT

I spend all of my relaxing moments following the advancement of all fields of cosmology, ie., theoretical physics, partical physics, etc. I cannot begin to express in words my gratitude to the scientist specialists for their efforts and astounding results. I am overwhelmed to be a part of this, however small.

How stars are born

Chris, Raleigh, NC — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 03:58:37 GMT

Can you imagine if we are just parasites on a much larger being, like a community living on an amoeba or something like that? How ridiculous would our presidential election be in regard to everything else? How ridiculous would life be?

How stars are born

Chong, CA — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 04:02:52 GMT

To quote a great comedian:
"Far out, man..."

How stars are born

Warm Wishes, Wilm, DE — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 04:10:29 GMT

It's funny how you all read the same article, as did I, because it peaked my interest. To the universe and its creations, by whichever creator - anyone believes in, an to the scientists who worked so hard on their passions for the art and the workings of the outter world, I gracefully thank you! It was great to get my mind off Wall Street and what we've done to harm our own existence - hopefully we're not too late... Can we all just not vote and see what happens? I'm not comfortable with either candidates. I feel like i'm watching a Pre-K fight out on the playground, no he said she said BS.

How stars are born

Warm Wishes, Wilm, DE — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 04:12:29 GMT

Nicely put Alan!!! I couldn't have said it better myself.

How stars are born

I.M. Smart — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 04:13:37 GMT

Actually, the gas is derived from the methane emissions of any tetonic life form. Therefore any such gases QED prove a life form on any such planet. Likewise, any color in the universe that is blue, which is an impossible color to produce in nature, proves QED that any blue spot on all of those pictures proves other life forms in our galaxies and beyond, QED.

If you look closely, you will see 2 other universes right between the 3 and 4th galaxies on the third picture in pixels 34 x 460 and 34 x 461.

Enjoy!

How stars are born

Luis Beltre Jr., Taipei, Taiwan — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 04:28:38 GMT

And here is a question for those with an "Evolution" background. Who introduced the concept that time is a human phenomena? Yes, Einstien. The fact that the impossibility of a black whole is no longer impossible or that we now know that light particles are gravitationally influenced or that perception of time and space is relative to a magnetic-field's level of influence is evidence of how little we really know about our universe. We can agree to disagree that thanks to Einstein's theory of relativity, among his other works, most of what was held to be absolute during Darwin's time (modern age) is now quietly dismissed. Relativity undermines the true age of the universe, relativity, undermines the newtonian principles of gravity, space, and time. For all its worth, Evolution-based science has now become what the "Middle age science" was to the Renaissance. A famous scientist stated that "we are no closer to answering the basic questions of life than the authors of the Genesis account." One thing we have in common, whether creationist or evolutionist, is faith. By the way, regarding the chicken vs. the egg question, I honestly don't have an answer. I only know that if I asked Darwin a similar question regarding what he believed existed first, the Big Bang or matter, he would be forced to answer as I have. How can matter come from nothing? I've seen many explosion but have never seen it form new matter, it only scatters what is already there. To say that something pre-existed the Big Bang leaves plenty of profound questions. So let us respect each other in this regard and realize that we are both hernest seekers of the same thing, truth, the goal of faith and reason.

How stars are born

Nate; Matamoras, PA — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 04:39:36 GMT

John Doe:
That is a very narrow minded view. How do you know the Creator waited so long to make His creation? I don't buy the earth being billions of years old myself, I tend to stick with the 6,000 year old earth idea. However, what if the billions of years old thing is correct? What if we were not the first? How are you so sure that there was not a creation before ours? What if we are creation 2.0 if you will and the previous creations inhabitants are going down the same wretched path this world is going down? These pictures are amazing and I agree that we are watching God's work in progress. Your religion of evolution is ridiculous at best and can't explain why we are here or even what these pictures are. Evolution is at the very root of this world's demise.

How stars are born

Antoine Smith, Northridge, CA — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 06:58:24 GMT

Wow, when Father comes we'll be able to visit these places, since thiers no limit to speed in the spiritual state!!!

How stars are born

jun macalino, Philippines — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 07:30:26 GMT

These revelations are just fabulous and fantastic to the readers naked eye. What a way to unlock the secrets of the universe!

How stars are born

LAWEEN SEATTLE WA — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 09:08:30 GMT

MY FIRST QUISTION IS IT POSSIBLE THAT HUMAN WOULD LIVE IN ANOTHER PLANET SOME DAY , SECOND IS THERE A LIFE ON OTHER PLANETS OR GALEGXY , WHAT ABOUT UFO IS IT REAL OR JUST A WASTE OF TIME PLEASE HELP

How stars are born

G.M., Virgin Islands — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 11:28:52 GMT

The DAWN of the ALPHA-LIGHT shines through the BLACKness of the OMEGA-UNIVERSE...and then there was: A NEWBORN CREATION out of the HEART and SOUL of PRISTEEN PURE OMNIVERSAL LOVE at the CRADLE of GALACTIC STARS...THE CREATOR'S CREATION REVEALED!!!

How stars are born

caitch case — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 11:52:36 GMT

No money spent by our government is as well spent as the funds spent for space and science exploration. Sadly, there are so few career opportunities for scientists.

How stars are born

Eric, Salinas, CA — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 13:22:04 GMT

It's great that we have such wonderful tools to see and understand how nature works in all it's glory. So interesting that scientists have discovered how to use lensing galaxies to improve the view. This is all about how nature works, no silly imaginary gods needed.

How stars are born

Fly — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 13:54:16 GMT

"Infinity" is the term we need to remember. Also, "relativity". Your only smaall next to something huge. These concepts are hard to grasp as humans but the universe has always been. Our section of the universe is so large in our view yet so small in terms of all the other universes that have exploded into existance that we cannot see from our view point in space. It trully never ends.

How stars are born

DM K.C — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 14:18:15 GMT

Maybe Man would take better care of his environment if there weren't so many who never fail to give credit to a non-existent deity who "watches over" our faithless exploitation of the natural world and universe.

Regardless of the factors that control our physical universe, it is beautiful.

How stars are born

Dave, NY — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 14:25:44 GMT

Isn't it great what random chance has created!? The vastness is incomprehensible.

How stars are born

Johnny Doe — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 15:09:15 GMT

to John Doe in San Diego,
perhaps you should re-examine what you think you know...as there is NO physical evidence to support evolution as the method of creation. all that is known is change within a species, which is actually variation, not evolution.
ever wonder why new "evolutionary discoveries" are not in textbooks? because they have been refuted. science and God are not mutually exclusive, they are connected far deeper than you imagine.

How stars are born

Richard, Maryland — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 15:41:29 GMT

Science is nothing more than man's attempt at explaining the universe via math and physics from what they observe. It may or may not be true. It is just our best attempt at explaining what we observe and predicting what may follow. Someday another scientist will rewrite, redefine, or otherwise change what we think is true today and approximate the universe a little bit closer.

Then again, perhaps God just snapped her/his fingers. Scientists haven't proven God false, they are just approximating her/his results.

How stars are born

Ike ,Dale City,VA — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 15:53:11 GMT

Sorry John Doe from San Diego,CA unfortunately some of us cant do away with GOD not even for a trillion fraction of a second as you have suggested.Just know tha GOD created the whole wide universe out of nothing(creatio ex nihilio).Can you please tell me John Doe which one was created first man or the sperm in man? Your answer wil resolve the hen and the egg issue.Its good that atleast most of the respondent believe that there is a Supreme Being behind all these awesome things out there.

How stars are born

Jeff, Wenatchee, Washington — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 16:39:24 GMT

Such beautiful pictures and interesting commentary on how they were derived, the physical concepts at work, how space-time is curved by gravity, etc.

The staggering and humbling reality of the enormity of deep space and time is staring us in the face and practically the only comments you get here are 'Ain't god awesome. Gosh, he's just so great'. How disappointing.

How stars are born

Kevin Wash, DC — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 17:31:52 GMT

The Buddha is neither a God nor a creator, he's just a dude who sat around long enough to become enlightened. Even still I think Buddha means enlightened one, so we all could be Buddhas.

How stars are born

I make more sense than most of you. — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 17:40:06 GMT

Pretty cool pictures. Too bad the poor starving people in <your favorate third world country> can't eat those pictures. Call the dogs back inside. The neighbors frown. Whatever.

How stars are born

Thomas Ashby, Calgary — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 17:42:52 GMT

Thanks for the astronomy lesson Alan. The star forming region in the Milky Way RCW 108 really catches my eye. You can see the filaments of cold hydrogen collecting and swirling into the main star forming region due to gravitational collapse and NOT the "hand-o-god".

The Einsteinian Cosmic Eye controlled exclusively by gravity (and not at all by magnetic fields since photons have no charge to be influenced by magnetic fields), gives us a further look back in time over colossal distances and is probably the best example ever of this phenom.

How stars are born

Mike L., EC, PA — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 18:20:08 GMT

To Jack in Nashville: That is Phil's and many other's opinion. It is easy to see that the universe has many better and cleaner energies than the old fossil fuels that we are using today to pollute our world. At one time, we did not think that oil or gas would be of any use to us. It took scientists and the technologies, of their time, to find that they could be useful to heat homes, generate electricity, and in transporation. Maybe, by studying the universe today, we may learn to develop those cosmic energies for our own, near future, use and all the money spent will have been well worth it.

How stars are born

Southeaster, Washington, DC — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 19:00:22 GMT

If the universe is expanding outward in all directions, can we not back-track selected objects/galaxies that we have good velocity and directional information about and estimate a point of convergence 13.7 billion years ago? i.e., the location of the Big Bang?

How stars are born

Rick — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 19:11:00 GMT

There is no creator, there is only the created.
No single being created what we see today, perhaps two single entities which at some time came together to become some thing else can explain what we see today.
Unless space is contained, it is infinitesimal.

How stars are born

Jerry M. Weikle, Newport News, Virginia — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 19:26:21 GMT

Recently, an accompanion website, "Livescience", authors discussed a "Little Bang" concept. In their discussion, 9 Billion years ago, a supernova occurred near a region of a nebula gas cloud in space. In this senerio, the "Little Bang" eventually caused the formation of our sun, Sol, and several other stars and solar systems.

What I find amazing and awesome, is that some of these regions of gases have cooled and are forming stars and solar systems. As a supernova explodes, teremendous high energy waves radiate outward into space. When the energy waves come in close proximity to a cooler region or gas nebula, the gas becomes energetic as the gas absorbs the radiation. This inturn, causes instability within the gas nebula as vortexes are formed. (Much like little whir-pools that form behind a boats wake, skimming across water, the little whir-pools form eddies on the waters surface.)
As the vortexes occur, gas and dust is swept into the vortex and condenses. This gas, apparently, is both cold and warm within the vortex as matter begins to condense into a protostar and proto-planetary disks,and eventually planetismals and planets.

Every element in the Universe, condenses into something special. Rocks form, vascular and non-vascular plants, and other forms of life are formed from the interaction of things in the Universe.

Mammals exhale carbon-dioxide, trees exhale oxygen, yet the two have a mutual symbionet relationship between one another. The tree inhales, absorbs, carbon-dioxide and the mammals inhale the oxygen for respiratory and cellular functions. All things are connected, inorganic and organic, as everything is "Star Dust"; to paraphrase Dr. Carl Sagan's words of "Everything is made of Star Dust"--with the emphasis on 'made' and the importance of "our organic structures came from the dust of the Stars".

Is a planet, a Sun, a distant Solar system, too--in a metaphysical stance, ones own distant family member?

One day, our sun, Sol, will explode going from a Red Giant to a White Dwarf--various atoms will be disbursed into the sea of space. Then some point in time, those atoms will congeal with another gas nebula. A new sun and solar system will form, it will be different, in many ways and simular in other ways. However, that is 9-12 Billion years down the road.

Life may not exist, as we "mear mortals be"; but the Universe will exist and continue in some form or another, even if it expands or crunches.

How stars are born

chris dule, anytown, earth — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 23:09:12 GMT

"You are absolutely right!!!! Our world is dying and finding a new place to live is our only option"

or we can just stop killing our planet, and not move to a new planet and rape that one aswell.

just a thought.

How stars are born

Les Brown, Cedar Hills, Utah — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 22:42:51 GMT

Beyond amazing! Thank you for all you do. I am anxious to see how results of the HLC tests at CERN tie into the cosmic side. Disappointed the collider test had been delayed until Spring 2009.

How stars are born

Pierre Lherisson — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 01:17:12 GMT

A mastering of all the fundamentals laws of physics will improve our understanding of those apparent chaotic forces in the universe.This will enables mankind to have more control over nature instead of being subject to its whims.

How stars are born

Tim Rommes, Washington, UT — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 05:39:35 GMT

On 10/9 Thomas Ashby wrote, "...RCW 108 really catches my eye. You can see the filaments of cold hydrogen collecting and swirling into the main star forming region due to gravitational collapse and NOT the 'hand-o-god.'"
I saw a show where mayonaise or peanut butter or something was being squirted into jars and the lids put on "due to machinery operation and NOT the 'hand-o-man.'" Somehow I'm not ready to write man out of that, though.
That picture does catch the eye. The gravitational collapse thing God does is awesome.

How stars are born

C X Fornier — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 06:53:08 GMT

ALL NOTIONS OF GOD OR GODS PALE IN COMPARISON TO THE UNIVERSE. Out there are things that would boggle our primitive minds that created the notion of a Creator.

How stars are born

JC Orlando,Fl — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 18:25:32 GMT

Let's hope we evolve into a wiser, kinder life-form before Mother Earth, or your Creator decide to eliminate us like any other virus or pathogen trying to kill us....

How stars are born

Jane Doe — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 01:57:28 GMT

Lets remember that it is the "hand-o-man' that creates machinary, and the Hand-o-Creator that creates man.