Stunning Nasa image dubbed 'Hand of God'
You don't have to look too carefully to make out what appears to be an outstretched hand, with a glowing light at the centre of its palm.
Somewhat predictably dubbed 'the Hand of God' by many media outlets (presumably keen to continue the anatomical theme begun by the 'Eye of God' Helix Nebula pictures - we can't wait to see what comes next), Nasa's stunning image, taken by the Chandra X-ray Observatory actually shows a young pulsar, or rapidly spinning neutron star, spewing out energy into the space around it.
Of course age is always relative, and this pulsar (somewhat prosaically known as PSR B1509-58, or B1509 for short), is actually 1,700 years old and located about 17,000 light years away. It spins around completely an amazing 7 times a second, and it's the the resulting release of energy that creates the beautiful effect we see here.
Comments
Whoa. I looked at the date first, just to check it wasn't an April Fool's!
Wow that really does look like a hand. It just shows you what can occur in nature. I bet those weirdos who see Jesus's face in their tea-leaves or whatever are having a field day!