An inquiry is being set up into child grooming gangs. The Church is an expert in this. As Jesus said “If anyone hurts one of these little children, then it would be better for them to be drowned in the sea. Or alternatively, moved to another parish.”
https://mega.nz/file/B6UhyCSZ#8u-buOnAqs7RoaSTg11gCBaD5M8eiH3GgTwRpkO6Ltw
I’ve been wanting to take a picture of this intriguing nebula for some time. Unfortunately, my view of the northern sky is blocked by a number of buildings and trees. In the last few days however, it’s just popped into view before dawn. As the year advances, the Bubble Nebula will appear higher in the sky and for a longer period of darkness, so I should be able to get some longer exposures. In the meantime, here is a 20 minute exposure that I managed to grasp with my Seestar S50 just before early morning twilight started to spoil the view.
The Bubble Nebula is a shell of hot expanding gas thrown off by a star that is 45 times as massive, and a million times brighter, than the sun. Like all massive stars, it is incredibly hot. Although only a few million years old, it has already exhausted it’s primary hydrogen fuel and is now churning its way through helium. In about 10 to 20 million years time it is likely to go nova.
It lies 7,000 light years away in the direction of Cassiopeia. The distinctive “W” of Cassiopeia provides a handy pointer.
But unless you’re blessed with dark skies and a larger telescope than I have (you’ll probably need at least an 8″ scope and not live near any city or suburban light pollution) you’ll be very lucky to see anything. As always, a long exposure with a camera is needed to make it visible for the rest of us.
https://www.skyatnightmagazine.com/astrophotography/nebulae/bubble-nebula
Sir Billy Boston has received a knighthood. This is the only recent knighthood for Rugby Union, which apparently is something different from Rugby League, or possibly the other way around.
Jesus was always handing out knighthoods to Rugby League, or was it Rugby Union? Whichever one was the underdog, Jesus would undoubtedly have approved. For there’s absolutely no snobbery, inverted or otherwise, in Christianity. All real Christians play Rugby Union. I mean League. No, well, whichever one…
https://mega.nz/file/ZzMnQAYK#OM6sNW58zo23crL1ijXGSIm3xzkCs2i9oHaGx8H9h0s
And in the Big News today from a Faith Perspective, I’ve been to the wake for a friend’s mother. My friend’s mother was a wonderful woman. I don’t think I’ve ever been to a friend’s mother’s Celtic wake as beautiful as this one. Friend’s mother’s Celtic wakes have a certain, what can you call it, Celticness about them.
Here, in the irreligious, pagan West, we, and by “we” I do of course mean “you”, have forgotten all about death and how to properly remember a dead friend’s mother.
We Christians invented funerals. So naturally, when it comes to a dead friend’s mother, only we know how to do it properly.
https://mega.nz/file/4r0kmJxB#GBbXZhL87BXBi1afWSXavMwcbbfXzJSN4PlVYiku2SQ
Reading books is declining alarmingly among the young. Concentration and attentiveness are becoming rare disciplines.
Christians invented concentration and attentiveness. It’s what makes us so wise. Without concentration and attentiveness we could be taken in by glib slogans like “Jesus died for our sins.” We might believe any old rubbish.
https://mega.nz/file/428wzIKY#JJf0MLigl2XF3cvS3NLcPAYTvdrFv-V26EgR1L1U9Lo
Platitude of the Day 