Satan in Milton’s telescope

As an amateur astronomer, I took special pleasure in all the astronomical imagery in Milton's "Paradise Lost". Milton depicts Satan exploring the vastness and boundaries of three immense worlds: Hell, Chaos, and the created universe that contains our Earth. At one point he has Satan landing on the surface on the Sun, which is such … Continue reading Satan in Milton’s telescope

Let there be electromagnetism

In the beginning, God said, "Let there be light." Or, in translation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=roqGqhX6_-U "The four-dimensional divergence of an antisymmetric second rank tensor equals zero". That is the formula for light. In physics, light is defined as a form of electromagnetic radiation. If I understand correctly, what we have in the video above is James Clerk … Continue reading Let there be electromagnetism

Seven Pillars of Creation

I recently read Michael P. Brown's "The Seven Pillars of Creation: The Bible, Science, and the Ecology of Wonder", an exploration of scripture in light of modern science, with emphasis on our current ecological crisis here on Earth. Brown, a Professor of Old Testament at Columbia Theological Seminary, explores what the Bible and science have … Continue reading Seven Pillars of Creation

Orion, the Bear and the Pleiades (Job 38)

I have an old telescope, through which I've spent many hours observing and photographing the sky. An old blog of mine, Catching the Sky, has many of my photos and observations. I've been looking through my photos and journals in recent days, partly inspired by Tom McLeish's book, Faith and Wisdom in Science. His book … Continue reading Orion, the Bear and the Pleiades (Job 38)

Tom McLeish on Science and the Book of Job

Tom McLeish's blog, Faith and Wisdom In Science, offers a scientist's perspective on the Book of Job. As a believer and scientist, McLeish argues that there is no necessary conflict between religion and science, which is a welcome message in these times. He has a lot of material on the Book of Job. He writes … Continue reading Tom McLeish on Science and the Book of Job

Esmeralda, cosmologist

In my blog posts I've compared similar passages across different novels, and I've got several passages from "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" that I want to link to other novels: "Moby-Dick," "Huckleberry Finn," "Tom Sawyer," "The Lord of the Rings," "Matilda," and one nonfiction book, Carl Sagan's "Pale Blue Dot." Compare this declaration by King … Continue reading Esmeralda, cosmologist