Monday, October 20, 2008

After-images of God

I watched an interesting documentary this weekend about Super Black Holes. It occured to me that black holes might be an 'after image' of God from the creation of time...or simply another metaphor of how creation gives us glimpses of her creator. Let me explain.

The initial search for super black holes was in Quasars - large object between 10-15 billion lightyears away (ie dating back to close to the origins of the universe) that emit tremendous amounts of energy. The theory was that somehow the energy emited was a result of a black hole. As it turned out the quasars were too far away to be able to tell but what was 'discovered' was that all galaxies appear to have a Super Black Hole (SBH) at their center. So the question was then posed, what's the relationship of the SBH to the galaxy and to galaxy formation. So this is what they found that reminded me of God.

  • SBH are the most powerful force in the universe, in fact their power is immeasurable.
  • We've never actually seen a SBH, we've only been able to see the effects the SBH has on the stars/matter surrounding and coming under the influence of the SBH and so we believe they exist.
  • We've never even seen anything enter a SBH but we believe they have the capacity/power to suck in stars etc.
  • The only way we know the SBH is there is by how it affects it's surroundings
  • SBH's seem to be the creative force of the galaxy - that without the SBH, the galaxy wouldn't exist
  • We think of black holes as destructive but apparently SBH are actually a massive creative force in the universe
  • Even stars that are too far out at the edge of a galaxy to be directly affected by the gravitational force of the SBH are still somehow affected by it (the speed of star rotation is directly proportional to the size of the SBH in each galaxy)
  • SBH seem to be more overtly active as the galaxy is being created and then 'rests' once it has taken shape.

    Well all analogies breakdown somewhere but maybe the Creator leaves his/her mark on creation for us to find. So do we 'believe' in Super Black Holes?
  • 4 comments:

    Roger said...

    Why are we so driven to find origin? Haven't we seen enough examples of humans focusing on gaining the unobtainable only to miss some obvious beauty or enjoyment of life that is right close at hand. Call it gold fever for lack of a better term. "If I could only find more gold I'd be all set for life." If only I could understand the meaning of life, the essence of God, then I would be set, I could believe. Give me proof, then I can believe.
    The proof we seek is all around us but it is not what we seek.
    Whatever that means.

    Chuck F. said...
    This comment has been removed by the author.
    Chuck F. said...

    Sorry, I messed up my previous comment and could not get it back. Here goes another try.

    I thought that comments and blogs are connected by what some call threads. Is that true? Someone can shed light on this please. For now, I am looking for the thread between Jeannette's post and Roger's comment. Here goes for an attempt at finding that tread, forgetting about what spool it came from, since seeking origins may, as Roger points out, be a fruitless search.

    I did not read Jeannette's blog as something driven towards proof. Maybe I missed the point. Here is what I heard:

    I read Jeannette’s blog as an experience similar to the wonder I feel when seeing the infinite number of stars in the skies at high altitude. I stand in awe of a universe that neither any human nor I will fully comprehend, ever. I read about the SBHs in the universe and stand in awe of a creativity that includes chaos and order as equal forces and "makes" something out of them. While I know that there are laws of physics, mathematics, chemistry and etc and etc. that govern and explain such phenomena, when I stand back, I see, hear, touch and generally experience it as a poem, a painting, a sculpture, a song, a dance, and just plain art.

    So it was as I descended into the depth of the womb of mother earth at the Lower Antelope Canyon. All of the physical laws governing the erosion that created that canyon, important as they may be, cannot “explain” what I experienced when I first descended those ladders. I like to think that both the physical laws and the interaction of their result with my life experience, created a spiritual experience that pointed me beyond myself to the totally “other.” No need for origins, simply a wonderful experience.

    So, Jeannette and Roger, am I hearing you correctly? Am I getting it? Or am I missing the point?

    Jeannette said...

    Chuck, I think you're on the right track. I'm facinated by the universe not because it prooves anything. I'm facinated at it's awesomeness, it's hugeness, it's power, etc etc. I especially like black holes and quasars and somewhere in it all I believe God leaves a fingerprint - nothing we can put through a scanner to prove God's existance (yes science uses all it's wiles to explain these magnificent phenomena) - but just a imprinting that tells me there is something much 'bigger' than me whom I call God.