Source: Hubblesite.org
This is an optical image of the Eagle Nebula, located in the constellation Serpens, photo courtesy of NASA taken by the Hubble space telescope. Pictured here is a region of the nebula where gases coalesce into greater masses until the increasing force of their mutual gravitation cause them to ignite in sustained nuclear fusion, a.k.a. a nursery for stars. The light being emitted from the gases is the result of ionization (the process of electrons being separated from their respective nulcei thus producing light) caused by the energy released from nearby stars. Off the picture to the upper right is a bank of young stars whose activity is slowing eroding away the pillar in the photo.
According to NASA, this particular nebula is 6500 light years distant or just over 38 quadrillion miles away from Earth. The section pictured here does not even compromise the entirety of the Eagle Nebula, yet this small piece is nearly 57 trillion miles from top to bottom.
Current estimates place our galaxy as one among 10 billion others, each containing at least as many as 10 billion stars, making our sun one of possibly over 100,000,000,000,000,000,000 stars in the universe.
"When I consider your heavens,
the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars,
which you have set in place,
what is man that you are mindful of him,
the son of man that you care for him?"
Oh, how little that the psalmist actually knew. Now that we have the technology allowing us the capability to see this far into the depths of space at greater wonders than that ancient writer could have possibly dreamed, do we still allow ourselves the same awe, or have we grown up too much? I personally think I use that simple word too easily in my daily vernacular. To study its meaning shows me how easily I fail to practice it. Let us stop for a moment in the midst of our otherwise tremendously important activities and remember that as only one among billions on a world that could be one among quintillions, the Lord your God is mindful of you. As Christians blessed with the personal experience of the sacrifice and grace of Christ, I think we tend to view the Creation as a direct benefit to ourselves and fail to recognize how truly insignificant we are. It is by the grace of Elohim, Creator God alone that we have breath, and it is this same Creator who is this very moment directing the birth of stars in the deep fields of space far beyond our wildest imaginations.
For more info about the nebula in the picture above and other awesome photos taken by Hubble check out these links.
http://hubblesite.org/newscenter/archive/releases/2005/12/image/b/
http://hubblesite.org/gallery/wallpaper/
