Space!

 Image Credit: NASA, ESA, H. E. Bond (STScI)

As soon as my eyes caught a glimpse of this photo of the star V838 Mon, I was mesmerized.  When this photo was taken in January of 2002, the star was experiencing an unusual outburst.V838 Mon expanded to the point to where it suddenly became the brightest star in the Milky Way Galaxy.  Researchers witnessed a "light echo."  For scientists, who had never seen such a phenomenon, this was a big deal.

As my eyes continued to rest on this vision, I remembered the many visits I made to my neighborhood library as a little girl.  It was not unusual for me to check out three or four books on astrology.  I was a little girl who loved to daydream about space!  Fast forward several years, and I was the young announcer at a classical music station who loved to find an excuse to play Gustav Holst's "The Planets."

I'll probably daydream about space for the rest of my life.  Thank God for space and for libraries where I can continue to explore the final frontier.

Source:  NASA