The image clearly appears to be a giant, blueish hand reaching out. To what? To whom?
P. Slane (Harvard-Smithsonian CfA) et al., CXC, NASA
There are several mentions of the stars and skies in the Quran. Additionally, several of the one hundred-fourteen chapters of the holy book are named after objects found in space; The Sun (91), The Star (53), and The Buruj (85) or The Illustrious Stars.
For this reason Muslims are no strangers to reflecting on Allah's creation up above. So reflect on this great discovery made by Harvard College yesterday. They give you: PSR B1509-58 (Yup, that's what they named it).
Catharine Smith, a Huffington Post writer covering the story, explains that "The bright blueish-white light is the pulsar, which spans only 12 miles and rotates at a blazing speed of seven times per second. It was created by the collapse of a massive star about 1,700 years ago, and has become "one of the most powerful electromagnetic generators in the Galaxy," according to the Chandra Observatory's report."
Yet another Quranic reference comes to mind when seeing the pulsar image:
30:8 (Y. Ali) Do they not reflect in their own minds? Not but for just ends and for a term appointed, did Allah create the heavens and the earth, and all between them: yet are there truly many among men who deny the meeting with their Lord (at the Resurrection)!
For a potential sighting of PSR B1509-58, visit the Angell Hall Observatory on the University of Michigan's campus. It is open for free public open houses many times during the year and has tools for student use (the main telescope is a 0.4-m (16-inch)diameter reflecting telescope equipped with a CCD camera. There are also a radio telescope andseveral 20-cm (8-inch) Schmidt-Cassegrains) according to their website.
For having the most unromantic name ever, PSR B1509-58 is very romantic in nature. I mean, just look at her.
