http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/astropix.html
Image Credit & Copyright: Miguel Claro (TWAN); Rollover Annotation: Judy Schmidt
Explanation: Why would the sky glow like a giant repeating rainbow? Airglow. Now air glows all of the time, but it is usually hard to see. A disturbance however -- like an approaching storm -- may cause noticeable rippling in the Earth's atmosphere. These gravity waves are oscillations in air analogous to those created when a rock is thrown in calm water. The long-duration exposure nearly along the vertical walls of airglow likely made the undulating structure particularly visible. OK, but where do the colors originate? The deep red glow likely originates from OH molecules about 87-kilometers high, excited by ultraviolet light from the Sun. The orange and green airglow is likely caused by sodium and oxygenatoms slightly higher up. The featured image was captured during a climb up Mount Pico in the Azores of Portugal. Ground lights originate from the island of Faial in the Atlantic Ocean. A spectacular sky is visible through this banded airglow, with the central band of our Milky Way Galaxy running up the image center, and M31, the Andromeda Galaxy, visible near the top left.
I feel quite sure that I have published at least 20 rainbows over the years and frankly, I was a bit surprised to see something I had never seen before. Yet, today on the NASA site- there it was!!! Imagine a rainbow that covers the entire sky??? Immediately, I thought of the last verse of the hymn: The love of God is greater far!!!
1
| The love of God is greater far Than tongue or pen can ever tell. It goes beyond the highest star And reaches to the lowest hell. The guilty pair, bowed down with care, God gave His Son to win; His erring child He reconciled And pardoned from his sin. |
| O love of God, how rich and pure! How measureless and strong! It shall forevermore endure— The saints’ and angels’ song. | |
2
| When hoary time shall pass away, And earthly thrones and kingdoms fall; When men who here refuse to pray, On rocks and hills and mountains call; God’s love, so sure, shall still endure, All measureless and strong; Redeeming grace to Adam’s race— The saints’ and angels’ song. |
3
| Could we with ink the ocean fill, And were the skies of parchment made; Were every stalk on earth a quill, And every man a scribe by trade; To write the love of God above Would drain the ocean dry; Nor could the scroll contain the whole, Though stretched from sky to sky. |
Perhaps, you might enjoy just listening to it...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IeBSv4dQ6BU&feature=youtu.be
John, Chapter 3 (WEB)
16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life.
There really is nothing more to be said, other than enjoy the picture and the song.
PS. I hope this makes your day- it certainly gave mine a boost!!!