Galaxy NGC 2903: A celestial treat by NASA and ESA

Every season brings its own charm with it. As we brave this summer and its heat and dust with hydrating juices, fruits, salads, following the various advisories to deal with the 'orange wave' that looms at us, there are some nice things that this season brings along. At least for those of us in places like Gandhinagar, the evenings and nights on the terrace are a special treat. Fortunately, without the mosquito menace, our nights don't have pesky mosquitoes buzzing about. They are often replaced by pesky thoughts that buzz about as persistently, at times. But, all these thoughts almost completely evaporate or freeze as one gazes at the sky.

The same wonder and curiosity that would grip me as a child envelops me as I look at the stars, constellations and celestial bodies. Occasionally, one sees a blinking light which is slowly moving and reminding one of the hundreds of lives up there. They'd be relaxing in the constrained comforts with a post-dinner sleep or catching up on Hollywood or Bollywood hits. Often unmindful of the movies and constructs we have consumed over the years, these may have stealthily crept and influenced the way we see, think, respond and react. But, returning back to the near black expanse that covers us on summer nights, the visible twinkling and shining bodies in the sky are a superb, gripping movie with so much of drama, action and suspense, if only we saw them, felt them or observed them.

Just a few days ago, scientists of NASA and the European Space Agency, ESA have shared a breathtaking picture of galaxy NGC 2903, an image of the Hubble space Telescope. Touted as the poster child of a spiral galaxy located in the Leo constellation, its pictures and video would give stiff competition to some of the best films ever made. With glowing spiral curves and a dazzling centre, this is a breathtaking movie of celestial mysteries that would leave you stunned.

ESA exclaims "These limelight-hogging celestial objects combine whirling, pinwheeling arms with scatterings of sparkling stars, glowing bursts of gas, and dark, weaving lanes of cosmic dust, creating truly awesome scenes." Located about 30 million light-years away, this bewitching beauty surfaced as Hubble did 'candid shooting' of some 145-odd nearby galaxies. While the research would also help scientists uncover links between black holes prowling in the core of such galaxies and the stardust and razzle-tazzle lump at the centre of the galaxy.

The German-born British astronomer William Herschel is credited with discovering NGC 2903 on November 16, 1784. NGC 2903 also has various other names such as LEDA 27077, UGC 5079 and IRAS 09293+2143, and this astounding image of this galaxy creating new stars at an incredibly high speed has been captured after over 230 years. Ofcourse, the credit for these pictures also go to Hubble's Advanced Camera for Survey (ACS), with different hues being assigned to each of the monochrome images from individual filters.

As I get to know more about the fascinating, stellar world above us, these are great inspirations about the efforts of humankind, just as they are deeply inspiring experiences for us. As related by Yuval Noah Harari in his book '21 lessons for the 21st century', 'The Buddha taught that the three basic realities of the universe are that everything is constantly changing, nothing has any enduring essence, and nothing is completely satisfying. You can explore the furthest reaches of the galaxy, of your body, or of your mind -but you will never encounter something that does not change, that has an eternal essence, and that completely satisfies you."

Just as we are on the threshold of sleep, every night, as we reflect on all that happened through the day, the kaleidoscope of emotions, feelings in the varying seasons of life, as we stare at the awesome sky with the mind boggling narratives that it is articulating, can we feel and experience the 'now' that doesn't change, the eloquent stillness that fills and embraces everybeing and everything?

The author is a Harvard-educated civil servant & writer, and has worked in the education sector 
jayanti.ravi.dna@gmail.com