Vega, a Closer Look: Smooth Disc, No Planets, Starspots

Posted on November 9, 2024 by Brian H. Gill

Images of Vega's dust disk taken by Hubble, using the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS) (left); and the James Webb Space Telescope, using the Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI) (right). A little over a week ago, scientist published a detailed analysis of Vega’s surprisingly planet-free debris disc.

Vega, one of the brightest stars in Earth’s sky, may have planets: but the October 31 paper rules out any Saturn-size or larger worlds in wide orbits. That reminded me of a Sherlock Holmes quote:

“‘Is there any point to which you would wish to draw my attention?’
‘To the curious incident of the dog in the night-time.’
‘The dog did nothing in the night-time.’
‘That was the curious incident,’ remarked Sherlock Holmes.”
(“The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes”, “Silver Blaze” , Arthur Conan Doyle (1894) Via Gutenberg.org)

More to the point, not finding planets in Vega’s debris disc should help scientists learn more about how stars and planets form. And gives me something to write about.

Vega Debris Disc: “Smooth, Ridiculously Smooth”

NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, S. Wolff, K. Su, A. Gáspár: images of Vega's dust disk taken by Hubble, using the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS) (left); and the James Webb Space Telescope, using the Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI) (right). See https://hubblesite.org/contents/media/images/2024/030/01JBF20FGYTRR4E0QVBWY516R1
Vega’s dust disc imaged by Hubble (left), Webb Telescope (right). (2024)

“NASA’s Hubble, Webb Probe Surprisingly Smooth Disk Around Vega”
NASA Hubble Mission Team, NASA (November 1, 2024)

“…A team of astronomers at the University of Arizona, Tucson used NASA’s Hubble and James Webb space telescopes for an unprecedented in-depth look at the nearly 100-billion-mile-diameter debris disk encircling Vega. ‘Between the Hubble and Webb telescopes, you get this very clear view of Vega. It’s a mysterious system because it’s unlike other circumstellar disks we’ve looked at,’ said Andras Gáspár of the University of Arizona, a member of the research team. ‘The Vega disk is smooth, ridiculously smooth.’

“The big surprise to the research team is that there is no obvious evidence for one or more large planets plowing through the face-on disk like snow tractors. ‘It’s making us rethink the range and variety among exoplanet systems,’ said Kate Su of the University of Arizona, lead author of the paper presenting the Webb findings….”

It wasn’t all that along ago when detecting planets around another star might have been surprising: and would certainly have been exciting.

Now, with 5,780 confirmed planets in 4,314 planetary systems other than ours, not finding planets is a big deal.

Not finding large planets, that is: Saturn-mass worlds or bigger.

IRAS — an infrared space telescope; I talked about it, briefly, last week — showed scientists that something around Vega was shining in infrared ‘light’.

That was back in the 1980s.

Fast-forward to 2005. The Spitzer Space Telescope had given scientists (fairly) high-resolution infrared images of Vega’s dust cloud. Or, more likely, Vega’s debris disc.

Whatever it is, radio telescopes also showed that there’s something around Vega: something that’s quite smooth. On the other hand, other observations showed that what’s around Vega is clumpy. Or asymmetrical, at any rate. Probably.

But none of those were as high-resolution as this Webb Telescope image.1

Dust, a Gap, and — the “Poynting-Robertson Effect”?

Figure 1 from 'Imaging of the Vega Debris System using JWST/MIRI': enlarged disk image at 25.5 micrometers (top); MIRI images at 15.5, 23, and 25.5 micrometers (bottom row). Kate Y. L. Su, Andras Gaspar, George H. Rieke, Renu Malhotra, Luca Matra, Schuyler Grace Wolff, Jarron M. Leisenring , Charles Beichman, Marie Ygouf; (2024) Via Wikipedia. See https://arxiv.org/abs/2410.23636
JWST MIRI images of Vega’s dust disk: 25.5 micrometers (top); 15.5, 23, and 25.5 micrometers (bottom).
(Figure 1, “Imaging of the Vega Debris System using JWST/MIRI”, Kate Y. L. Su et al.)

“Imaging of the Vega Debris System using JWST/MIRI”
Kate Y. L. Su, Andras Gaspar, George H. Rieke, Renu Malhotra, Luca Matra, Schuyler Grace Wolff, Jarron M. Leisenring, Charles Beichman, Marie Ygouf (Submitted October 31, 2024) Via arXiv, accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journal

Abstract

“We present images of the Vega planetary debris disk obtained at 15.5, 23, and 25.5 microns with the Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI) on JWST. The debris system is remarkably symmetric and smooth, and centered accurately on the star. There is a broad Kuiper-belt-analog ring at 80 to 170 au that coincides with the planetesimal belt detected with ALMA at 1.34 mm. The interior of the broad belt is filled with warm debris that shines most efficiently at mid-infrared along with a shallow flux dip/gap at 60 au from the star. These qualitative characteristics argue against any Saturn-mass planets orbiting the star outside of about 10 au assuming the unseen planet would be embedded in the very broad planetesimal disk from a few to hundred au. We find that the distribution of dust detected interior to the broad outer belt is consistent with grains being dragged inward by the Poynting-Robertson effect. Tighter constraints can be derived for planets in specific locations, for example any planet shepherding the inner edge of the outer belt is likely to be less than 6 Earth masses. The disk surface brightness profile along with the available infrared photometry suggest a disk inner edge near 3-5 au, disconnected from the sub-au region that gives rise to the hot near-infrared excess. The gap between the hot, sub-au zone and the inner edge of the warm debris might be shepherded by a modest mass, Neptune-size planet.”
[emphasis mine]

Since I’ve got nerdy interests, I’d heard about things like the Yarkovsky effect, which describes how electromagnetic radiation, like light, affects smallish rotating things like asteroids. But the Poynting-Roberston effect was new to me.

With the Yarkovsky effect, light warms the ‘day’ side of a rotating object. Then, as the object rotates, the energy’s re-radiated in another direction. The point is that the Yarkovsky effect describes how light affects the orbits of fairly small rotating objects.

Michael Schmid's 'Drawing to illustrate the Poynting-Robertson effect'. (October 23, 2023)The Poynting-Robertson effect describes how light affects any small object, like dust grains, whether it’s rotating or not.

There are at least two ways of looking at the Poynting-Robertson effect, depending on which frame of reference you pick.

Taking a dust grain’s viewpoint, that’s (a) in Michael Schmid’s drawing (right) a star’s radiation (S) is coming at the grain at an angle. That’s due to the astronomical sense of the word “aberration”: objects looking like they’re a bit ‘ahead’ of their actual position, due to the observer’s motion.

Since there’s a trifle more light hitting the forward-facing part of the dust grain in (a), re-radiated photons will slow the grain down. Not much, but it’s a non-zero amount.

The same situation, from the star’s viewpoint, (b) in the drawing, light from the star is coming straight ‘down’ on the dust grain.

Re-radiated photons? That’s anisotropic emission: geek-speak for the way photons leave the dust grain just slightly leaning toward the grain’s direction of motion. That will slow the grain down: again, not much, but by a non-zero amount.

Anisotropy — is a rabbit hole I’ll skip today. I put links in the footnotes.2

A Closer Look at Vega’s Dusty Disc

NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, S. Wolff, K. Su, A. Gáspár: image of Vega's dust disk taken by the James Webb Space Telescope, using the Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI, F2550W filter). See https://webbtelescope.org/contents/media/images/2024/030/01JBF24XMPA7PEFDCM4VWY0V07
James Webb Space Telescope image of Vega’s dust disk, with F2550W filter.

Backing up a bit, IRAS showed that there’s a lot of dust around Vega; but infrared telescopes couldn’t give scientists particularly high-resolution pictures of the Vega system.

Not until the James Webb Space telescope got to work in July of 2022. By then, we’d learned that we’re looking at Vega — and its dust disc — from the ‘top’, with one of the star’s poles pointed almost directly at us.

Astronomers measured Vega’s diameter, using an astronomical interferometer. That was about two decades back. Astronomical interferometry is using two or more telescopes and a whole lot of math to get high-resolution images.

Their results said that Vega was 2.73 times as wide as our Sun. Give or take 0.01. That was winder than they’d expected.

Then science happened, and now we figure that Vega looks as bright as it does, and as wide as it is, because it’s spinning really fast: once every 16.3 hours. Our sun goes around once every 25 days at the equator, 34 and a half days near the poles.

Spinning that fast, Vega bulges at the equator. I’ll get back to that.

Now, about these images.

“Imaging of the Vega Debris System using JWST/MIRI” discusses images taken with three of Webb’s filters:

  • F2550W
    Broadband imaging, peak sensitivity at 25.5 micrometers
  • F1550C
    Coronagraph imaging, peak sensitivity at 15.5 micrometers
  • F2300C
    Coronagraph imaging, peak sensitivity at 22.75 micrometers

A coronagraph is a telescope gadget that blocks light from something bright, like a star, letting us see stuff near the star. That accounts for black bits at the centers of the images.

Except for one. Kate Y. L. Su et al. say that “the 25.5 μm [micrometer] image is missing the core because of saturation”.3

Hubble’s Vega Image

NASA, ESA, STScI, S. Wolff: Image of Vega's dust disk taken by Hubble, using the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS). See https://hubblesite.org/contents/media/images/2024/030/01JBF20FGYTRR4E0QVBWY516R1
Hubble STIS image of Vega’s dust disk.

This Hubble image of Vega’s dust disc was taken with the 50CORON filter on Hubble’s STIS: Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph.

The 50CORON filter lets Hubble see light from about 2000 to 10,300 angstroms, or 0.2 to 1.03 micrometers: which is probably why it’s called a “clear” filter.

A HubbleSite press released explained that both the Kate Y. L. Su et al. paper and Hubble images were basically grayscale. The Hubble image is blue and the Webb image is orange, because folks assigned those colors to each.4

Something I haven’t learned is why that Hubble image of Vega’s dust disc looks like a starburst, with all those spikes radiating from the center. I’ve seen the same sort of pattern elsewhere, and I’ll get back to that.

I’m up to two “back to thats” now, so I’d better start tying up loose ends.

How We Know What We Know About Vega, and a Little Lore

Matúš Motlo's illustration, comparing Vega (right) and Sol, our sun (left). (2021) Vega's surface features suggested by 'Discovery of starspots on Vega - First spectroscopic detection of surface structures on a normal A-type star'; T. Böhm, M. Holschneider, F. Lignières, P. Petit, M. Rainer, F. Paletou, G. Wade, E. Alecian, H. Carfantan, A. Blazère, G.M. Mirouh. (2015). Used w/o permission. See https://arxiv.org/abs/1411.7789
Comparing Vega (left) and Sol (right). Matúš Motlo’s illustration.

The Sun’s sunspots are bright, but they’re darker than the rest of the visible surface.

We haven’t actually seen starspots, tiny dark patches on other stars, but we’ve detected larger dark patches on some stars.

Back in 2015 some scientists detected smallish bright spots on Vega. That’s why Matúš Motlo put little bright starspots on his illustration, comparing Vega and Sol/the Sun.

With a lower-case “s”, a sol is a day on Mars, and I’m wandering off-topic.

Both Vega and the Sun are about halfway through their time on the main sequence: a period when a star is ‘burning’ hydrogen and hasn’t started running out of fuel.

But where the Sun is around 4,600,000,000 years old, Vega is 700,000,000: or, rather, between 850,000,000 and 625,000,000.

Vega is something like two and an eighth times as massive as the Sun, so it’s burning through its hydrogen much faster.

Vega’s width and brightness strongly suggested that it’s rotating so fast that it’s shaped sort of like a loaf of pumpernickel. The way Vega’s bright starspots act backs up that idea. That’s why astronomers are pretty sure about the star’s 16.3 hour rotation period.

Another point about Vega: it’s not nearly as ‘metal’ as the Sun. For astronomers, metallicity is now much of a star is made of elements heavier than hydrogen and helium. Vega has only about 32% of the Sun’s share of elements heavier than helium.

Since it’s spinning so fast, Vega is thicker across the equator than it is pole-to-pole. That also makes it hotter at the poles: or cooler at the equator, take your pick.5

Let’s see. What else? Vega is by far the brightest star in the constellation Lyra, and part of the Summer Triangle.

Finding Vega, and a little Skywatching Lore

I queued up Sky & Telescope’s Sky Tour Podcast (September 2024) to start at 6:40. That’s where the narrator starts taking about Arcturus, and eventually gets to Vega and the Summer Triangle.

Vega is the constellation Lyra’s brightest star, and is part of the Summer Triangle; along with Altair and Deneb.

IAU / Sky and Telescope magazine (Roger Sinnott & Rick Fienberg)'s star chart: the constellation Lyra, Alpha Lyrae.Vega circled. Via Wikipedia.The constellation Lyra goes back at least to Ptolemy’s Almagest, and was one of 88 official constellations defined and published by the IAU in 1930.

In Greek mythology, Lyra is the magic lyre of Orpheus.

As a feature in Earth’s sky, Lyra isn’t real: and neither is the Summer Triangle.

Constellations, as astronomers use the term, are regions on the celestial sphere: an abstract/imaginary sphere that Earth’s sky is projected on.

Asterisms are patterns on the celestial sphere; like the Little Dipper, Summer Triangle, and Winter Circle.

Asterisms, constellations, and the celestial sphere aren’t “real” in the sense of being a physical part of this universe. They’re convenient abstractions we use when we’re talking about the real wonders in our sky.6

Spiky Stars and Fomalhaut’s Planet That Isn’t There (Probably)

NASA / ESA: Hubble STIS false-color composite image of Fomalhaut system, with locations of object Fomalhaut b marked. (2013)
Hubble images: Fomalhaut system, showing dust disk. (2013)

NASA, ESA, STScI, S. Wolff: Image of Vega's dust disk taken by Hubble, using the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS).Now, about that spiky Hubble image of Vega’s dust disk.

The picture’s caption on HubbleSite describes the disc as “…very smooth, with no evidence of embedded large planets….”

With a starburst of dark spikes, it didn’t look particularly smooth to me.

So I figured that the spikes came from Hubble’s optics, or maybe image processing, not Vega’s disc: and that whoever wrote the caption knew this.

I spent more time than I might have, looking for an explanation for those spikes. Unsuccessfully.

Diffraction Spikes, a Debris Disc Distraction, Fomalhaut’s Far-Flung System

NASA, ESA, CSA's image; processed by Joseph DePasquale (STScI): Herbig-Haro 46/47, a tightly bound pair of actively forming stars. They are at the center of the red diffraction spikes, appearing as an orange-white splotch. A high-resolution near-infrared light. (2023)
Webb image: red diffraction spikes around Herbig-Haro 46/47, a tightly bound pair of actively forming stars.

NASA/ESA's image, detail: LH 95 stellar nursery in the Large Magellanic Cloud. (December 2006)I’m pretty sure that I’m not looking at diffraction spikes: not the sort of four- and six-pointed-star effects you’ll see in some astronomy photos, at any rate.

Another thing: I’ve been calling Vega’s dusty halo a debris disc, not a protoplanetary disc, because resources I’d been reading used that term.

A little checking verified that debris disc, circumstellar disc, and protoplanetary disc have overlapping definitions.

Circumstellar disc looks like the most generic term, with debris disc running a close second.

Protoplanetary discs are what we’ve been finding around young stars: like Vega, but they have protoplanets in them.

Maybe Vega’s debris disc is called that because scientists haven’t found protoplanets in it yet.

Where was I?

  • Hubble’s spiky image of Vega’s debris disc
  • Diffraction spikes
  • Circumstellar discs
  • Vega’s debris disc
    • Wondering why it’s not called a protoplanetary disc

Right.

I still don’t have an explanation for Hubble’s spiky image of Vega’s debris disc.

But I did find another spiky Hubble image of a star’s debris disc: Fomalhaut and a debatable exoplanet named Dagon.

Dagon, Fomalhaut b, was discovered in 2005, (tentatively) confirmed in 2012, and more positively confirmed as the dust cloud from a whacking great collision in 2020.

The Fomalhaut system has two more stars besides Fomalhaut.

Fomalhaut B, or TW Piscis Austrini, is a BY Draconis variable: and I am not going to dive down that rabbit hole. Fomalhaut C, LP 876-10, is even smaller and dimmer than TW Piscis Austrini.

TW Biscis Austrini is less than a light-year from Fomalhaut. LP 876-10 is 2.5 light-years from Fomalhaut, 3.2 light-years from TW Biscis Austrini. All three are part of a very spread-out trinary star system.7

46 Centuries of Thinking About This Universe, Briefly

Fossart's artist's impression of a planet around Vega. (2015)
Fossart’s impression: a planet around Vega. (2015)

Folks had been looking at rivers, mountains, and the stars; and thinking about how all this began, for uncounted ages, when someone committed what we call the Kesh temple hymn to writing.

About that: I assume humanity didn’t pop into existence around 2600 B.C. — and that the wealth of literature which appeared as soon as folks started writing came from oral traditions stretching back to our beginnings.

Fast-forwarding over the Babylonian Map of the World, Parmenides, Anaximander, Aristotle, and all that — natural philosophers started calling themselves scientists in 1834. They eventually accepted that Aristotle wasn’t right about everything.

B. Saxton (NRAO/AUI/NSF)/ALMA (ESO/NAOJ/NRAO)'s images of dust disks around nine young stars, from SPHERE instrument on ESO's Very Large Telescope. (April 2018)About a century back now, we started learning how the Sun and other stars produce energy.

That, and — during the last few decades — getting increasingly detailed images of growing stars and planetary systems, is helping us learn how Earth, Jupiter, AEgir, Janssen, and worlds we haven’t found yet, evolve.8

I’m pretty sure that finding nascent planetary systems without large planets in distant orbits will help scientists explain the wild variety of planetary systems we have found.

Natalie Batalha's and Wendy Stenzel's chart of exoplanet populations found with Kepler data. (2017) (NASA and Ames Research Center)I’m also pretty sure that we’ll eventually find a world where life that’s not like Earth’s flourishes: or that we won’t.

I’ve talked about that, and somewhat-related topics, before:

1 Searching for new worlds:

2 Light, physics, and nerdy vocabulary:

3 Getting a closer look at Vega:

4 Astronomy images and imaging:

5 Stars and skywatching:

6 More stars and skywatching:

7 Astronomical miscellanea:

8 Myth, cosmology, and philosophy; from the Kesh temple hymn to AEgir and Janssen:

Posted in Discursive Detours, Exoplanets and Aliens, Science News, Series | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Surrounded by Beauty and Wonders: T Tauri Stars and Nebulae

Posted on November 2, 2024 by Brian H. Gill
ESA/Hubble, R. Sahai and NASA's image from Hubble Space Telescope: reflection nebula IRAS 05437+2502, from the Wide Field Channel of the Advanced Camera for Surveys, created from images taken through yellow (F606W) and near-infrared (F814W) filters. (2010)
Reflection nebula IRAS 05437+2502 in Taurus.

“…All of us dwell under the same sky. All of us are moved by the beauty revealed in the cosmos and reflected in the study of the heavenly bodies and substances. In this sense, we are united by the desire to discover the truth about how this marvellous universe operates; and in this, we draw ever closer to the Creator….”
(Address to Participants in the Summer Course of the Vatican Observatory, Pope Francis (June 11, 2016))

My interest in science started as a fascination with dinosaurs. By the time I left high school, that fascination included astronomy, physics, cosmology, and more.

My academic specialties were history and English, but I never lost my intense interest in pretty much everything else.

That didn’t change when I became a Catholic — partly because where my faith is involved, paying attention to the wonders and beauty surrounding us isn’t a problem.

The Enigmatic IRAS Ghost Nebula

ESA/Hubble, R. Sahai and NASA's image from Hubble Space Telescope: detail, reflection nebula IRAS 05437+2502, from the Wide Field Channel of the Advanced Camera for Surveys, created from images taken through yellow (F606W) and near-infrared (F814W) filters. (2010)
Hubble image of the reflection nebula IRAS 05437+2502, in the constellation Taurus. (2010)

A Wikipedia page says that IRAS 05437+2502 is a reflection nebula in the constellation Taurus, and that it’s occasionally called the IRAS Ghost Nebula. I’ve confirmed some of that.

Along the way, I learned that scientists didn’t know about IRAS 05437+2502 before 1983 — probably.

In 1983 IRAS (Infrared Astronomical Satellite) made an all-sky survey at 12, 25, 60, and 100 micrometer wavelengths. That’s well into the infrared part of the spectrum.

IRAS spotted about 250,000 objects, including IRAS 05437+2502. It was a joint project of NASA, NIVR, and SERC — space agencies of the United States, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom — and I’m drifting off-topic.

We’ve learned a little about IRAS 05437+2502 since 1983. That’s what I gather, at least, from the designations it’s collected: WISEA J054651.49+250347.5, 2MASXi J0546515+250347, and more alphabet-soup labels.

But we haven’t learned much. Not yet. Most likely because observatories have only so much available time.

This Hubble image, for example, was a ‘snapshot’ with Hubble’s Wide Field Channel of the Advanced Camera for Surveys: something slipped into the space telescope’s schedule, with no guarantees of results.

The image, released in 2010, was one of those lucky breaks. It’s from Hubble’s Wide Field Channel of the Advanced Camera for Surveys, made from separate images using yellow (F606W) and near-infrared (F814W) filters.

“A lucky observation of an enigmatic cloud“
Newsletters, ESA/Hubble (June 14, 2010(?))

“…At first glance it appears to be a small, rather isolated, region of star formation and one might assume that the effects of fierce ultraviolet radiation from bright young stars probably were the cause of the eye-catching shapes of the gas. However, the bright boomerang-shaped feature may tell a more dramatic tale. The interaction of a high velocity young star and the cloud of gas and dust may have created this unusually sharp-edged bright arc. Such a reckless star would have been ejected from the distant young cluster where it was born and would travel at 200 000 km/hour or more through the nebula.…”
[emphasis mine]

I’ve found precious little specific information about IRAS 05437+2502, aside from its width in our skies, spanning “only 1/18th of a full moon”, and it being “distant”.

How distant?

I got a clue from the “AI Overview” that Google Search occasionally shows me:

“AI Overview”
Google Search (October 29, 2024)

“IRAS 05437+2502, a reflection nebula in the Taurus constellation, is about 380 light-years away. A light-year is a unit of distance that measures how far light travels in one Earth year, which is roughly 6 trillion miles or 9.7 trillion kilometers.”

“About 380 light-years” gave me another search term: which led me to an NBC News article, from around Halloween of 2010.

Where NBC’s “Cosmic Log” got that number, I don’t know.1

Impressions

ESA/Hubble, R. Sahai and NASA's image from Hubble Space Telescope: detail, reflection nebula IRAS 05437+2502, from the Wide Field Channel of the Advanced Camera for Surveys, created from images taken through yellow (F606W) and near-infrared (F814W) filters. (2010)
IRAS 05437+2502: dark nebula and cosmic Rorschach test.

When I look at IRAS 05437+2502, I see a cloaked and hooded figure with arms outstretched, standing above other figures walking off to its left.

That’s not the only impression folks have gotten when viewing the dark nebula.

“What’s the explanation for this spectral hand clutching at the stars?“
Alasdair Wilkins, Gizmodo (August 20, 2010)

“This nebula looks like a hand reaching out to grab the stars above it….”

When I showed IRAS 05437+2502 to my oldest daughter, she saw something else:

“Looks like the nebula’s running into some sort of crystal formation.”
(‘Brigid’, in a Discord chat (October 29, 2024))

Now that I know about those impressions, I can see “this spectral hand” and “some sort of crystal formation”. But mostly, I still see the cloaked and hooded figures.

Whatever IRAS 05437+2502 looks like, it is a molecular cloud: a clump of stuff that’s a pretty good vacuum, but not as empty as most of the expanse between stars.

I’m guessing, based on that “380 light-years” mentioned in NBC’s “Cosmic Log”, that IRAS 05437+2502 is part of the Taurus-Auriga complex.

The Taurus-Auriga complex, in turn, is in the Gould Belt (or Gould’s Belt, depending on who’s talking), a ring of stars and star-forming regions in our part of the Milky Way galaxy.

Benjamin Gould spotted the belt in 1879. Scientists took a close look at it a little shy of two decades back.

More recently, scientists working at the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study put some of what we’ve learned about this part of the Milky Way galaxy through 3D software. They learned that the Gould Belt is part of a vast collection of interconnected stellar nurseries.

Recapping, IRAS 05437+2502 may be near, or maybe is part of, the Taurus molecular cloud. The Taurus molecular cloud is part of the Taurus-Auriga complex. The Taurus-Auriga complex is part of the Gould Belt.

Scientists working at Radcliffe learned that the Gould Belt is part of something even bigger: a vast collection of interconnected stellar nurseries. The scientists’ location, along with the object’s shape, account for its name: the Radcliffe wave.2

Stars in the Making: the HP Tau Triplet

KPNO/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/T.A. Rector's image; processed by T.A. Rector (University of Alaska Anchorage/NSF's NOIRLab), M. Zamani (NSF's NOIRLab), D. de Martin. Variable star HP Tau: a T Tauri star. Image created using data from the Nicholas U. Mayall 4-meter Telescope at Kitt Peak National Observatory (KPNO), a Program of NSF’s NOIRLab. (2023)
New suns, a triple-star system: Kitt Peak image of HP Tau, HP Tau G2, and HP Tau G3.

One thing I like about astronomy, and science in general, is astronomers and scientists don’t seem bothered by scale.

Light from those three stars, for instance — HP Tau, HP Tau G2, HP Tau G3 — took five and half centuries to reach us; but by cosmic standards they’re almost next door.

And, again by cosmic standards, they’re quite young: less than 10,000,000 years old.

They also seem to be looking at us. Or, rather, that’s what my imagination told me.

More Impressions

Image from NASA/ESA/G. Duchene (Universite de Grenoble I); processed by Gladys Kober (NASA/Catholic University of America). A triple-star system: HP Tau, HP Tau G2, and HP Tau G3. HP Tau is known as a T Tauri star. (May 2024)
“Here’s looking at you, kid.” Hubble image of HP Tau, HP Tau G2, and HP Tau G3.

Giuseppe Arcimboldo's 'Porträtt, karikatyr:' portrait of Wolfgang Lazius. (1562) Photo by Samuel Uhrdin, via Wikimedia Commons, used w/o permission.Humans are good at seeing patterns. Sometimes we even see familiar patterns, like faces, that aren’t really there.

That’s almost certainly why the Hubble image of HP Tau, HP Tau G2, and HP Tau G3, reminds me of a face. And, probably, why someone else looked at the same image and saw a geode.

“Hubble Views the Dawn of a Sun-like Star“
Explore, NASA (May 15, 2024)

“Looking like a glittering cosmic geode, a trio of dazzling stars blaze from the hollowed-out cavity of a reflection nebula in this new image from NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope. The triple-star system is made up of the variable star HP Tau, HP Tau G2, and HP Tau G3. HP Tau is known as a T Tauri star, a type of young variable star that hasn’t begun nuclear fusion yet but is beginning to evolve into a hydrogen-fueled star similar to our Sun. T Tauri stars tend to be younger than 10 million years old — in comparison, our Sun is around 4.6 billion years old — and are often found still swaddled in the clouds of dust and gas from which they formed….”
[emphasis mine]

Before reining myself in, I found that scientists have been paying more than casual attention to HP Tau and its neighbors.3

T Tauri Stars: What We’ve Learned So Far (Very Briefly)

Illustration used in online resource 'Spectra of the T Tauri Stars', Frederick M. Walter, Professor of Astronomy, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Stony Brook University. This illustration may be from 'First GASPs of Star Formation in Taurus', Adele Plunkett, Daily Paper Summaries (July 20, 2012)
T Tauri stars in context: dark cloud to young stellar system in six steps.

I also found a few comparatively non-nerdy discussions of T Tauri stars, including a couple using that six-step “cartoon”, and put links in the footnotes.4

Here are a couple excerpts:

Caption for “a. dark cloud” – “f. young stellar system”
“Cartoon of star formation, showing the molecular cloud that begins to gravitationally collapse, forming a Class 0/I star in the upper row, and progressing through Class II (a.k.a. T Tauri star), pre-main-sequence and finally stellar system (with planets forming from the dusty surroundings) on the bottom row.”
(“First GASPs of Star Formation in Taurus” , Adele Plunkett, Daily Paper Summaries, astrobites (July 20, 2012))

“…A T Tauri star is a very young, lightweight star, less than 10 million years old and under 3 solar masses, that it still undergoing gravitational contraction; it represents an intermediate stage between a protostar and a mid-mass main sequence star like the Sun. T Tauri stars are found only in nebulas or very young clusters, have low-temperature (G to M type) spectra with strong emission lines and broad absorption lines….”
(“Stellar Evolution — Cycles of Formation and Destruction“, Chandra X-Ray Observatory, Smithsonian Institution)

I ran across HL Tauri, another T Tauri star, while writing this.

Ran across discussions of it, actually, not the star itself. HL Tauri is about 450 light-years away — about seven times farther than Aldebaran, but in the same general direction. That may be close on a cosmic scale, but it’s far beyond our reach at the moment.

Assuming our models of stellar evolution are moderately accurate, HL Tauri is less than 1,000,000 years old.

Since it’s got a protoplanetary disk with gaps where planets may be forming, HL Tauri is a bit of a puzzle. The star looks younger than its protoplanetary disk would suggest, so our models of stellar evolution may need more tweaking.

IAU, Sky and Telescope magazine (Roger Sinnott, Rick Fienberg)'s star chart: constellation Taurus. Three T Tauri stars circled: HL Tauri, red; IRAS 05437+2502, green; T Tauri, blue.And there you have it. T Tauri stars are young stars with a mass less than three times that of our Sun.

They’re still collapsing, and haven’t started ‘burning’ hydrogen yet.

They’re named after T Tauri, about 471 light-years away, also in the general direction of Aldebaran. T Tauri the first star studied and defined as being this type.5

I circled the location of three stars I’ve mentioned today on that IAU/Sky & Telescope star chart: HL Tauri, red; IRAS 05437+2502, green; and T Tauri, blue.

God, the Universe, Science, and Me

NASA/John Krist/Karl Stapelfeldt/Jeff Hester/Chris Burrows's images and caption. From Hubble Space Telescope's Wide Field and Planetary Camera 2: young binary star system XZ Tauri blowing bubbles of glowing gas in the years 1995, 1998, and 2000.
XZ Tauri blowing bubbles in the years 1995, 1998, and 2000. Hubble Space Telescope images.

When my oldest daughter and I were talking about IRAS 05437+2502, she mentioned that some folks see learning how stuff works as a threat to their sense of wonder.

She didn’t phrase it that way. More like their feeling that there’s an inverse correlation between a sense of wonder and detailed knowledge.

Then our conversation wandered off in the general direction of psychological quirks and neurological oddities. Neither of us are particularly near the 50th percentile, and that’s another topic or three.

In my case, knowing that a candle’s flame is bright because of a chemical reaction, and the sun is bright because hydrogen nuclei are fusing in its core, doesn’t keep me from using their light — and admiring them as two of the wonders that fill this universe.

That admiration, in turn, for me, inspires respect for God — whose power and beauty is reflected in everything we can perceive.

“God himself created the visible world in all its richness, diversity, and order. Scripture presents the work of the Creator symbolically as a succession of six days of divine ‘work,’ concluded by the ‘rest’ of the seventh day. On the subject of​ creation, the sacred text teaches the truths revealed by God for our salvation, permitting us to ‘recognize the inner nature, the value, and the ordering of the whole of creation to the praise of God.'”

“The beauty of the universe: The order and harmony of the created world results from the diversity of beings and from the relationships which exist among them. Man discovers them progressively as the laws of nature. They call forth the admiration of scholars. The beauty of creation reflects the infinite beauty of the Creator and ought to inspire the respect and submission of man’s intellect and will.”
(Catechism of the Catholic Church, 337, 341)

NASA/ESA's image, detail: LH 95 stellar nursery in the Large Magellanic Cloud. (December 2006) Paraphrase from Catechism of the Catholic Church, 283: '...These discoveries invite us to even greater admiration for the greatness of the Creator, prompting us to give him thanks for all his works and for the understanding and wisdom he gives to scholars and researchers...'. see https://www.vaticanobservatory.org/education/catechism-catholic-church-references-science/Paying attention to God’s universe is not a new idea.

“Question the beauty of the earth, question the beauty of the sea, question the beauty of the air, amply spread around everywhere, question the beauty of the sky, question the serried ranks of the stars … question all these things. They all answer you, ‘Here we are, look; we’re beautiful.’…
“…Prayer:
“O God, You are never far from those who sincerely search for You. Accompany those who err and wander far from You. Turn their hearts towards what is right and let them see the signs of Your Presence in the beauty of created things. We ask this….”
(“The beauty of the unchangeable creator is to be inferred from the beauty of the changeable creation ” , St. Augustine, Sermons, 241, Easter (c.411 A.D.))

“The heavens declare the glory of God;
the firmament proclaims the works of his hands.”
(Psalms 19:2)

“When I see your heavens, the work of your fingers,
the moon and stars that you set in place—
“What is man that you are mindful of him,
and a son of man that you care for him?
“Yet you have made him little less than a god,
crowned him with glory and honor.”
(Psalms 8:4–6)

Neither is recognizing that God is large and in charge.

“Indeed, before you the whole universe is like a grain from a balance,
or a drop of morning dew come down upon the earth.”
(Wisdom 11:22)

“Our God is in heaven
and does whatever he wills.”
(Psalms 115:3)

I don’t see that changing, no matter how much we learn about T Tauri stars, candle flames, or anything else.

Basically, regarding science and religion — paying attention to the beauty and wonders surrounding us makes sense.

I’ve talked about this before. Often:

1 More than you need, or maybe want, to know about:

2 Learning about our cosmic neighborhood:

3 Analysis, patterns, perception; and a famous quote:

4 T Tauri stars, mostly:

5 Stars, a nebula, and a little cosmology:

Posted in Being Catholic, Discursive Detours, Science News | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

Voting As If What I Believe Matters

Posted on October 26, 2024 by Brian H. Gill
Left: '[Dividing the] national [map]', political cartoon by John Cabell (1860). Right: 'Political caricature. No. 3, The abolition catastrophe. Or the November smash-up', political cartoon (1864) see https://www.loc.gov/resource/ppmsca.33122/ https://www.loc.gov/resource/cph.3a12905/
Politics of yesteryear: “[Dividing the] national [map]” (left, 1860), “The abolition catastrophe….” (right, 1964).

A little over a week from now, November 5, I plan on going to Sauk Centre’s polling place. Then I’ll vote.

I’m not looking forward to that. But I’ll vote anyway.

That’s because I’m an American. Voting is part of being a responsible citizen.

Since I’m also a Catholic, voting responsibly involves comparing how we should behave to what the candidates have been saying and — perhaps more to the point — doing.

If one of the candidates struck me as an obviously-good choice, then I would cast my vote for that one: and maybe say that you should, too.

But I’m stuck with the reality we’re experiencing. So instead, I’ll —

  • Share links to resources that discuss the ‘should behave’ aspects of public life
  • Mention why I think voting makes sense
  • Look forward to not seeing election angst in my news feed

This week’s post is shorter than most:

Citizenship Without Hate and Fear: Resources

Image: cover of USCCB's 'Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship'. (Copyright 2007, 2011, 2015, 2019, 2023)First off, two links: (1) to a booklet in PDF format, a bit over 50 pages; and (2) to a page recommending that we talk and act as if our neighbors matter, with links to resources that might help.

  1. “Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship ”
    A Call to Political Responsibility from the Catholic Bishops of the United States,
    United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB)
  2. Civilize It: A Better Kind of Politics
    usccb.org/civilizeit

I think the booklet’s “Introductory Note” makes sense: reminding us that people and principles matter.

I’m quoting this bit, partly because it discusses the issue with more authority than I’ve got:

“Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship” , Introductory Note, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops [emphasis mine]

“…Election seasons, therefore, should contain a sense of gratitude and hope. Our love for this country, our patriotism, properly impels us to vote.

“But increasingly, it seems, election seasons are a time of anxiety and spiritual trial. Political rhetoric is increasingly angry, seeking to motivate primarily through division and hatred. Fear can be an effective tool for raising money. The most heated arguments online often get the most clicks. Demonizing the other can win votes.

“We propose once more the moral framework of ‘Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship’ precisely as pastors, inspired by the Good Samaritan, with the hope of binding these wounds and healing these bitter divisions. This document is not based on personalities or partisanship, the latest news cycle, or what’s trending on social media. Instead, it reflects the perennial role of the Church in public life in proclaiming timeless principles: the infinite worth and dignity of every human life, the common good, solidarity, and subsidiarity. Not sure what these mean? We invite you to read a copy of ‘Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship’ and learn more….”

The USCCB has a page on their website with the same title, and a link to the booklet, along with other resources:

“Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship ” , Office of Justice and Peace, USCCB

“…Learn More

“Read ‘Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship ‘ : A Call to Political Responsibility from the Catholic Bishops of the United States (en Español), which provides a framework for Catholics in the United States. (English PDF | PDF en Español)

“As a complement to Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship, the bishops also approved six new bulletin inserts (en Español) to help the Catholic faithful put their faith into action.

Hot Button Issues and Loving My Country Anyway

G.W. Bromley & Co.'s 'Political caricature. No. 3, The abolition catastrophe. Or the November smash-up'. (1864) via Library of Congress, used w/o permission.
A hot button issue: “The abolition catastrophe. Or the November smash-up”. (1864)

It’s been 16 decades since decent Americans told Abraham Lincoln that his remarks about slavery were political liabilities.

They were, arguably, right. But so was he.

Slavery is a bad idea and we shouldn’t do it. People aren’t property. (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2414)

Lincoln was re-elected, despite his divisive rhetoric. Slavery, as it existed before 1863, is no longer part of our culture.

But America still isn’t a perfectly perfect country.

On the ‘up’ side, I haven’t run across activists demanding reparations for families victimized by the Confiscation Act of 1862 and the Thirteenth Amendment. Or a candidate promising that, if elected, he or she will revoke the Emancipation Proclamation.1

That sort of thing lets me hope that 16 decades from now, most Americans will think that human beings are people. Even human beings who are too young, too sick, or too old, to defend themselves.

We do learn. Slowly, sometimes, but we do learn.

Obligations

Charles Dudley Arnold's photo of Chicago Expo 1893; Court of Honor, Columbia fountain.On the whole, I like being an American. That’s partly because I think my country is a very great deal more than our politicians and bureaucrats.

I’m also a Catholic. I take my faith seriously, so how I see the world, and what I think is important, isn’t entirely determined by my native culture’s mores.

I think that I should act as if loving God, and my neighbors, matters. And that everybody is my neighbor. (Matthew 5:43–44, 7:12, 22:36–40, Mark 12:28–31; 10:25–27, 29–37; Catechism, 1789)

I’m also obliged to do what’s possible in public life. That includes recognizing humanity’s solidarity and respecting authority. Within reason. (Catechism, 1778, 1915, 1897-1917, 1939-1942, 2199, 2238-2243)

Loving my country is another obligation. Again, within reason. Letting love of country slop over into worship of country is a bad idea. A very bad idea. (Catechism, 2112-2114, 2199, 2239)

Loving my country doesn’t take much effort. Usually. I don’t even mind voting. I think it’s a pretty good way of getting citizen feedback.

But I do not think our system is the only ‘correct’ form of government. Different cultures and eras have different needs and preferences. That’s okay. Provided that the system follows natural law: ethical principles that apply to every time and place. (Catechism, 1915, 1957-1958)

Prayer and Perspective

John Hambrock's 'The Brilliant Mind Of Edison Lee'. (November 7, 2016) used w/o permission.Again, I think voting makes sense.

For one thing, it’s a fairly effective mechanism for getting citizen feedback.

For another, it encourages those in authority to keep folks like me in mind while they do their jobs.

And since I can vote, as a Catholic I’m obliged to provide feedback that may help the common good.

One more thing.

There’s a prayer in my daily routine — it’s in last week’s post2 — that mentions “…this most critical time…”.

Maybe whoever wrote the prayer meant “most” as a synonym for “very”. But I kept perceiving “most” as “surpassing all others” or “supreme”. So when it’s just me doing that prayer, I say “…this critical time…”.

I know there have been other “critical” times in my country’s history, and figure there will be more in our future. I’m not entirely convinced that today’s mess is the worst we’ve experienced to date. And I sure don’t know what will be happening next.

Maybe I’m being overly-cautious. And that’s another topic.

At any rate, I’ve shared what I believe, and why it matters, before:

1 Hot button issues of 1860s America:

2 A tip of the hat to Fr. Greg, for letting me post this transcript:

Posted in Being a Citizen, Being Catholic | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

“Dilexit nos”: New Encyclical From Pope Francis

Posted on October 24, 2024 by Brian H. Gill

From my Google News feed, 'Picks for you'. ('...Google News shows some content in a personalized way. Personalization helps Google News quickly and easily show you stories that interest you....') (October 24, 2024)My interests are eclectic.

So is what my Google News feed puts in my “Picks for you” section.

This morning (Thursday, October 24, 2024), I noticed an AP headline about Pope Francis denouncing something: “Pope Francis denounces a world ‘losing its heart’ in 4th encyclical of his papacy”.

I could have checked out what AP says the pope said, but long experience tells me that I’ll learn more about what a pope — or anyone else — said by reading or hearing what they actually said.

So I went to the Vatican website, and took a look at this new encyclical:

And, good news for me, Vatican.va has “Dilexit nos” in my native language, English.

The encyclical — no surprises here — uses scholarly language. It’s also, for my taste, on the long side. A quick check told me that it runs upwards of 27,400 words. Here’s a sample:

“Dilexit nos” [“He loved us”]
Pope Francis (October 24, 2024)

“…WHAT DO WE MEAN BY ‘THE HEART’?

“3. In classical Greek, the word kardía denotes the inmost part of human beings, animals and plants. For Homer, it indicates not only the centre of the body, but also the human soul and spirit. In the Iliad, thoughts and feelings proceed from the heart and are closely bound one to another. [2] The heart appears as the locus of desire and the place where important decisions take shape. [3] In Plato, the heart serves, as it were, to unite the rational and instinctive aspects of the person, since the impulses of both the higher faculties and the passions were thought to pass through the veins that converge in the heart. [4] From ancient times, then, there has been an appreciation of the fact that human beings are not simply a sum of different skills, but a unity of body and soul with a coordinating centre that provides a backdrop of meaning and direction to all that a person experiences.

“4. The Bible tells us that, ‘the Word of God is living and active… it is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart’ (Heb 4:12). In this way, it speaks to us of the heart as a core that lies hidden beneath all outward appearances, even beneath the superficial thoughts that can lead us astray. The disciples of Emmaus, on their mysterious journey in the company of the risen Christ, experienced a moment of anguish, confusion, despair and disappointment. Yet, beyond and in spite of this, something was happening deep within them: ‘Were not our hearts burning within us while he was talking to us on the road?’ (Lk 24:32).

“5. The heart is also the locus of sincerity, where deceit and disguise have no place. It usually indicates our true intentions, what we really think, believe and desire, the ‘secrets’ that we tell no one: in a word, the naked truth about ourselves. It is the part of us that is neither appearance or illusion, but is instead authentic, real, entirely ‘who we are’. That is why Samson, who kept from Delilah the secret of his strength, was asked by her, ‘How can you say, “I love you”, when your heart is not with me?’ (Judg 16:15). Only when Samson opened his heart to her, did she realize ‘that he had told her his whole secret’ (Judg 16:18).

“6. This interior reality of each person is frequently concealed behind a great deal of ‘foliage’, which makes it difficult for us not only to understand ourselves, but even more to know others: ‘The heart is devious above all else; it is perverse, who can understand it?’ (Jer 17:9). We can understand, then, the advice of the Book of Proverbs: ‘Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life; put away from you crooked speech’ (4:23-24). Mere appearances, dishonesty and deception harm and pervert the heart. Despite our every attempt to appear as something we are not, our heart is the ultimate judge, not of what we show or hide from others, but of who we truly are. It is the basis for any sound life project; nothing worthwhile can be undertaken apart from the heart. False appearances and untruths ultimately leave us empty-handed.

“7. As an illustration of this, I would repeat a story I have already told on another occasion. ‘For the carnival, when we were children, my grandmother would make a pastry using a very thin batter. When she dropped the strips of batter into the oil, they would expand, but then, when we bit into them, they were empty inside. In the dialect we spoke, those cookies were called “lies”… My grandmother explained why: “Like lies, they look big, but are empty inside; they are false, unreal”‘. [5]

“8. Instead of running after superficial satisfactions and playing a role for the benefit of others, we would do better to think about the really important questions in life. Who am I, really? What am I looking for? What direction do I want to give to my life, my decisions and my actions? Why and for what purpose am I in this world? How do I want to look back on my life once it ends? What meaning do I want to give to all my experiences? Who do I want to be for others? Who am I for God? All these questions lead us back to the heart….”

I’m planning on reading the whole thing. Later.

Today, I just skipped down to the last few paragraphs:

“Dilexit nos” [“He loved us”]
Pope Francis (October 24, 2024)

“…218. In a world where everything is bought and sold, people’s sense of their worth appears increasingly to depend on what they can accumulate with the power of money. We are constantly being pushed to keep buying, consuming and distracting ourselves, held captive to a demeaning system that prevents us from looking beyond our immediate and petty needs. The love of Christ has no place in this perverse mechanism, yet only that love can set us free from a mad pursuit that no longer has room for a gratuitous love. Christ’s love can give a heart to our world and revive love wherever we think that the ability to love has been definitively lost.

“219. The Church also needs that love, lest the love of Christ be replaced with outdated structures and concerns, excessive attachment to our own ideas and opinions, and fanaticism in any number of forms, which end up taking the place of the gratuitous love of God that liberates, enlivens, brings joy to the heart and builds communities. The wounded side of Christ continues to pour forth that stream which is never exhausted, never passes away, but offers itself time and time again to all those who wish to love as he did. For his love alone can bring about a new humanity.

“220. I ask our Lord Jesus Christ to grant that his Sacred Heart may continue to pour forth the streams of living water that can heal the hurt we have caused, strengthen our ability to love and serve others, and inspire us to journey together towards a just, solidary and fraternal world. Until that day when we will rejoice in celebrating together the banquet of the heavenly kingdom in the presence of the risen Lord, who harmonizes all our differences in the light that radiates perpetually from his open heart. May he be blessed forever.”

Based on that very quick and superficial glance, I’ll guess that at least part of what Pope Francis is saying is that my heart — who I am, really, down past the “foliage” — matters: and that the latest software, movies, and slogans — aren’t nearly as important.

And, since the universe isn’t all about me, I figure that this is true for everyone else, too.

But like I said, I haven’t read the whole thing, much less studied it. I probably will, since my very quick and superficial glance was just that.

Although previous experience strongly suggests that I won’t find much more than a topical focus on what the Church has been saying for the last two millennia. Which I boil down to ‘I should love God, love my neighbor, and see everyone as my neighbor’.

White House Photographer Chuck Kennedy's photo: Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C.; then-President Barack Obama, First Lady Michelle Obama, and former Presidents Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton walk past the statue of President Lincoln. (August 28, 2013)I’ve talked about what the pope says, what I read in the news, and making sense, before:

Posted in Being Catholic | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

Wisdom, Love, Life, Voting and Making Good Choices

Posted on October 19, 2024 by Father Greg Paffel

A man asked Jesus “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” in last Sunday’s Gospel reading. That’s what Fr. Greg talked about — our Lord’s answer is simple, by the way, and can be boiled down to ‘be prudent’.

There’s an election looming in our country, so Fr. Greg also talked about acting as if love matters, and making prudent choices. Then he shared a prayer that I’ve had in my daily routine for a while. But (more than) enough about me. Here’s what Fr. Greg said:

Eternal Life

“What must I do to inherit eternal life?”

“What must I do?”

Well, he answers by saying he keeps all the commandments. That’s good.

And then Jesus — okay: ‘just one more thing. Go sell everything you have, give it to the poor, and follow me’.

Sounds like three things to me, but Jesus says ‘one more thing’.

Definitions and Choosing Wisely

I think we could in essence boil it down to this: be prudent.

To inherit eternal life, be prudent.

So one of the definitions of prudence by St. Thomas Aquinas is this: ‘love chooses wisely, love that chooses wisely’: that’s prudence.1

So if love chooses wisely, guess what: you’re going to honor your father and mother; oh, you’re not going to kill, you’re not going to commit adultery, you’re not going to steal, you’re not going to do all these things.

Love chooses wisely, and our first reading, from the Book of Wisdom, tells us, ‘I prayed, and prudence was given to me’. ‘I prayed, and prudence was given to me’.2

He who is the source of love — is so eager to answer our prayers. So eager to inspire us to choose wisely: that’s our God, a God who loves us and helps us to love as well.

Love, Choices, and Wisdom

Our second reading, at the end, reminds us that we have to make an account for everything at the end of our life — to Jesus, who is our judge, at the end of our life — and how is he going to judge us?

On whether we love, and chose wisely.3

Wow.

Prudence

Lord, send our spirit of prudence, a double portion of prudence, to us: in our family lives, in our personal lives; and in the life of this election, huh? Oh, my gosh. Our world could use more prayer, our nation.

So, I have a prayer for our country.4 Right here, it’s got the Blessed Virgin on the front. There are some in the back. You’re welcome to take one on your way out if you like. I’ll do this at the end of my homily.

I’ve been just thinking about some of the topics, some of the things that are going on in our election. I’ll address a few this week and probably a few next week.

Just some of those issues.

Judges, the Constitution, and Freedom

The first one I want to start with, though, is Supreme Court justices. Right?

Boy, if we want anybody to be prudent, wouldn’t it be a judge? And a judge who judges over large things, like our nation?

And so, a Supreme Court justice, that’s one of the jobs of the president, is to recommend Supreme Court justices.

So we pray for the president to be prudent in choosing, and we also pray for those judges to be prudent. And if they’re really doing their job, it’s really not about being conservative or liberal. That’s not the job of a judge.

The job of a judge is to interpret the Constitution: that’s their job; to intercept the Constitutions, and to interpret it as much like the original writers meant it. That makes a good judge.

So when you go to the election poll, think about who you want selecting the judges. Okay? Think about that.

One of the things that they end up judging a lot on are things like our First Amendment: freedom of speech, freedom of religion.5 We might extend that a little bit to freedom of conscience. Right?

I was just thinking of just a couple things in the past the Supreme Court had to make some decisions on: and depending on who’s on the court could go different directions, right?

So it depends on how they interpret the Constitution.

A Wedding Cake

One was the wedding cake company. If you remember that?

And they were being asked by two people, I don’t remember if it was two men or two women, I don’t remember, but they were asking for a wedding cake with the two men or two women on the top.

And the wedding cake company says: you know, we’re happy to make cakes and stuff, but we’re not going to put that on the top. We don’t do that.

And they went, had a case against them, they said they were being discriminatory, blah-blah-blah.6 I don’t even remember how the case turned out, to be honest.

But those are the kinds of things.

Were they able to practice their conscience as business owners, even while letting somebody else practice their conscience in who and how they get married?

Man, do we through (!) that stuff. We gotta have some wisdom, right?

And wouldn’t you want people to choose wisely, with love.

Artificial Contraception

And one of the other things was: remember the religious sisters, they were being pressed by the government of all places (!), that they have to provide contraception to their workers in their insurance packages. Right? It had to be one of the things.

And the government was imposing that on the sisters, and obviously, religious sisters — wherever you stand is one thing — but where the religious sisters were standing, their conscience was being pummeled by the government.

And so the Supreme Court justices, they made a decision on that as well: like, let it go government, they’re sisters. Okay. Get over it. That’s my language, I don’t remember all the details.7

So, we want people in the court who will judge wisely, with love, on those kinds of things.

Second Amendment and the Right to Defend Myself

And I was thinking, you know, there’s an awful lot of controversy over guns. Right? And wherever you sit and stand on guns, that’s its own thing, but sometimes they have to decide if the Constitution is being interpreted rightly.

And I don’t remember this last case, somebody said it was a win for the NRA, I don’t even know what the case was. But that’s the Second Amendment. The right to bear arms.

When I hear ‘the right to bear arms’, what I hear is ‘the right to defend myself’.

It’s not the right to go out and shoot whoever or whatever I want, it’s the right to defend myself when my life, or my family, or my property, is being threatened. Do I have the right to defend myself? That’s what I hear.8

But again, things like that go to the Supreme Court.

Abortion

Pamphlet cover: 'The Catholic Church is a Pro-Life Church', People of Life, the pro-life action campaign of the Catholic Church in the United States, under the direction of the USCCB Secretariat of Pro-Life Activities. see https://www.usccb.org/resources/catholic-church-pro-life-churchAnd then of course we can always talk about abortion. Right?

Abortion.9

And I think the Supreme Court got it right. I really do.

So, the Catholic Church would say that the right of life is the most fundamental right of all.

I have this brochure here from the — all of the United States bishops, the USCCB, the United States Bishops — put together a short, little pamphlet on — what’s the name of it? “The Catholic Church is a Pro-Life Church” .10 Okay?

I like the tone of this. The tone here is one of compassion, but also instruction. Right?

And so I’ll just read some of this for you today, and kind of just give you a teaser. There’s some of these in back of church. There’s not enough for everybody, but there’s some of these in back, if you’re interested.

And they write:

“All persons, not just Catholics, can know from scientific and medical evidence that what grows in a mother’s womb is a new, distinct human being. All persons can understand that each human being merits respect. At the very least, respecting human life excludes the deliberate and direct destruction of life.

“Throughout her rich tradition, the Catholic Church has always been pro-life. As Saint John Paul II reminded us, we believe that ‘all human life is sacred, for it is created in the image and likeness of God.’ Aborting an unborn child destroys a precious human life which God has called uniquely into existence….”
(“The Catholic Church is a Pro-Life Church ” 10 People of Life, the pro-life action campaign of the Catholic Church in the United States)

And so it goes on further:

“…Our Faith also obliges us to follow … Jesus Christ….”
(“The Catholic Church is a Pro-Life Church ” 10 People of Life, the pro-life action campaign of the Catholic Church in the United States)

Oh, that was the command Jesus gave that young man today in the Gospel: ‘go sell what you have and follow me’. Obviously, Jesus himself is pro-life.

This is why, as a church, we are pro-life.

It’s got a nice tone to it, it’s got some quotes from some Saints and different things in here, if you want one of those, it’s a good read.

And I was thinking about abortion from a different angle this time.

Choice: and Responsibility

I was thinking, you know, people who say ‘I’m pro-choice’ — right?

They have good hearts, they have good meaning, too, you know — Wherever they’re coming from, whatever experience they have.

The problem is the premise on which they found their reasoning. The premise. That is, the beginning point from the reasoning.

So, one of the slogans that I keep hearing over and over again is “my body, my choice”. That makes a lot of sense.

It makes a lot of sense: “my body, my choice”. If I want a haircut, I go get a haircut; if it’s time to clip my fingernails, I go clip my fingernails; if I’m feeling ill or injured, I go see the doctor.

“My body, my choice” — that makes a lot of sense.

The problem is the premise. When they say “my body, my choice”, they’re forgetting that it’s actually a second body. There’s a second person. It’s that person from the embryonic state up through nine months of gestation and infancy in the womb.

That is another person that God himself brought into existence at that moment of conception.

Oh, my gosh: that’s where our faith helps us so much.

And so the premise can’t be that it’s just your body. It’s more than just your body. There’s two of you now.

And then the question becomes: do we have the right, over somebody else, living inside of us?

That’s the fight, right?

And as Catholics, we would say ‘they have dignity, and they have the right to life’. That’s where our slogan comes from.

Bodies and Rights

A second way I was thinking about this issue was “my body my choice”: well, even though I agree with that premise, it’s not always right.

If you’ve ever had somebody in your family, or a neighbor, or somebody who’s thinking about or planning suicide; do you think you should do whatever you could do to stop them?

Or do you think you should just say, ‘yeah, no big deal, go ahead, pull the trigger’.

Right?

So even though there’s a certain sense of “right” to our own bodies, you’re not going to just stand by while you watch your best friend say ‘you know, I am so tired of my left arm, I’m going to cut it off’.

No, you’re going to do something to say ‘wait a minute, let’s think about this: let’s think about this, let’s talk it through, cause from what I can tell, that left arm is pretty important’.

Now, I mean it’s different if it’s gangrened and it needs amputation.11 I’m not talking about that. I’m talking about a health arm, right?

So, the premise: the premise is “my body, my choice”, but it’s wrong, because there’s two bodies. There’s two bodies when we’re talking about pregnancy.

Which brings us back to the Supreme Court.

Roe v. Wade, the Constitution, and a Eureka Moment

They have this case, the Dobbs case I guess we call it now. And they had to address abortion.

And after they reviewed the first decision, of Roe versus Wade, and as they reviewed the Constitution, what they decided and realized was: the Constitution itself doesn’t say anything about abortion.

It doesn’t.

And so, as a Supreme Court, they decided ‘we need to not uphold Roe v. Wade, we need to kick it back down to the states’.12 And boy are there battles in the states. Right? There’s a lot of work to be done at the state level.

But that was the decision.

Let Love Choose Wisely

And so, as you go to the ballot box, as you go to pull the lever, or mail it in: just ask you (!), choose wisely. Let your love, let your discernment, choose wisely those things that most align with God.

Because Jesus says, ‘give up everything else, and follow me’.

I think Jesus is happy he doesn’t have to cast a vote. It’s like, ‘whoo! Escaped that one!’

But he’s there to help us.

So let’s go to this reading from Wisdom: let’s pray: “…I prayed, and prudence was given [to] me”. [Wisdom 7:7]

Let’s pray that prudence would be given to us, and also to our nation, as we go to the ballot box. Let love choose wisely.

And I’m going to end with this prayer. Again, this pamphlet and this prayer are in the back if you’d like one.

I’d invite you to close your eyes and bow your head with me:

O Most Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of Mercy, at this most critical time, we entrust the United States of America to your loving care.

Most Holy Mother, we beg you to reclaim this land for the glory of your son. Overwhelmed with the burden of the sins of our nation, we cry to you from the depths of our hearts and seek refuge in your motherly protection.

Look down with mercy upon us and touch the hearts of our people. Open our minds to the great worth of human life and to the responsibilities that accompany human freedom. Free us from the falsehoods that lead to the evil of abortion and threaten the sanctity of family life.

Grant our country the wisdom to proclaim that God’s law is the foundation on which this nation was founded, and that He alone is the True Source of our cherished rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

O Merciful Mother, give us the courage to reject the culture of death and the strength to build a new Culture of Life. Amen.
(“A Prayer for Our Country”,4 from Men of the Sacred Hearts)

Video: Gospel Reading and Homily at St. Paul’s, Sauk Centre, MN; October 13, 2024

Gospel reading for Sunday, October 13, 2024; the video should start playing just before the start of this reading:

“As he was setting out on a journey, a man ran up, knelt down before him, and asked him, ‘Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?’

“Jesus answered him, ‘Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone. You know the commandments: “You shall not kill; you shall not commit adultery; you shall not steal; you shall not bear false witness; you shall not defraud; honor your father and your mother.”‘

“He replied and said to him, ‘Teacher, all of these I have observed from my youth.’

“Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said to him, ‘You are lacking in one thing. Go, sell what you have, and give to [the] poor and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.’ At that statement his face fell, and he went away sad, for he had many possessions.

“Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, ‘How hard it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!’ The disciples were amazed at his words.

“So Jesus again said to them in reply, ‘Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to pass through [the] eye of [a] needle than for one who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.’ They were exceedingly astonished and said among themselves, ‘Then who can be saved?’

“Jesus looked at them and said, ‘For human beings it is impossible, but not for God. All things are possible for God.’

“Peter began to say to him, ‘We have given up everything and followed you.’

“Jesus said, ‘Amen, I say to you, there is no one who has given up house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands for my sake and for the sake of the gospel who will not receive a hundred times more now in this present age: houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and eternal life in the age to come. But many that are first will be last, and [the] last will be first.'”
(Mark 10:17–30)

Acting as if love and neighbors matter isn’t easy, but it’s a good idea anyway:

1 ‘Prudence is love choosing wisely’, discussed in:

  • “Summa Theologiae”, Second Part of the Second Part, Question 47; St. Thomas Aquinas (13th century) translation via New Advent
  • St. Thomas quotes St. Augustine of Hippo’s De Moribus Ecclesiae Catholicae / “Of the Morals of the Catholic Church” (388) translation via New Advent

2 First reading for Twenty-eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time, October 13, 2024:

3 Thinking about last things:

  • Second reading for Twenty-eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time, October 13, 2024: Hebrews 3:12–13
  • The particular judgment, a sort of final performance review: Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1021-1022

4 “A Prayer for Our Country”, from Men of the Sacred Hearts, menofthesacredhearts.org:

OriginalMy adaptation, for personal use

O Most Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of Mercy, at this most critical time, we entrust the United States of America to your loving care.

Most Holy Mother, we beg you to reclaim this land for the glory of your son. Overwhelmed with the burden of the sins of our nation, we cry to you from the depths of our hearts and seek refuge in your motherly protection.

Look down with mercy upon us and touch the hearts of our people. Open our minds to the great worth of human life and to the responsibilities that accompany human freedom. Free us from the falsehoods that lead to the evil of abortion and threaten the sanctity of family life.

Grant our country the wisdom to proclaim that God’s law is the foundation on which this nation was founded, and that He alone is the True Source of our cherished rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

O Merciful Mother, give us the courage to reject the culture of death and the strength to build a new Culture of Life. Amen.

O Most Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of Mercy, at this critical time, I entrust the United States of America to your loving care.

Most Holy Mother, I beg you to reclaim this land for the glory of your son. Overwhelmed with the burden of the sins of this nation, I cry to you from the depths of my heart and seek refuge in your motherly protection.

Look down with mercy upon us and touch the hearts of this people. Open our minds to the great worth of human life and to the responsibilities that accompany human freedom. Free us from the falsehoods that lead to the evil of abortion and threaten the sanctity of family life.

Grant this country the wisdom to proclaim that God’s law is the foundation on which this nation was built, and that He alone is the True Source of our cherished rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

O Merciful Mother, give us the courage to reject the culture of death and the strength to build a new Culture of Life. Trusting in your most powerful intercession I pray —

[The Memorare]

Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone who fled to your protection, implored your help, or sought your intercession was left unaided.Inspired by this confidence, I fly unto thee, O Virgin of virgins, my mother, to thee do I come, before thee I stand, sinful and sorrowful.O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not my petitions, but in thy mercy hear and answer me. Amen.

5 Freedom of expression, a persistently pesky proposition:

6 Dealing with homosexual/LGBTQ+/LGBTI+/LGBTIQA+/whatever issues, and a recent ‘wedding cake’ case:

7 A religious order, government preferences, contraception, being human; very briefly:

8 The situation is not, putting it mildly, simple:

9 Human beings are people, all human beings:

  • Human life is sacred, a gift from God: every human life, each human life. (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2258-2317)
    • Each human being is a person, no matter how young he or she is; killing an innocent person is a bad idea and we shouldn’t do it. (Catechism, 2270-2275)

10 Valuing human life, and knowing why we value human life:

  • USCCB (United States Conference of Catholic Bishops)
    • USCCB Committees: Pro-Life Activities
      “We proclaim that human life is a precious gift from God; that each person who receives this gift has responsibilities toward God, self and others; and that society, through its laws and social institutions, must protect and nurture human life at every stage of its existence.”
    • “The Catholic Church is a Pro-Life Church ”
      Pamphlet by People of Life, the pro-life action campaign of the Catholic Church in the United States, under the direction of the USCCB Secretariat of Pro-Life Activities

11 Life, health, responsibility, and not despairing:

  • Human life is precious, sacred, a gift from God (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2258)
  • Staying alive and healthy, within reason, is a good idea. (Catechism, 2288-2289)
  • Deliberate mutilation, unless done for strictly therapeutic medical reasons, is a bad idea and I shouldn’t do it. (Catechism, 2297)
  • Killing myself would be, in effect, murder; with no time later for me to repent. (Catechism, 1021-1022, 2280-2283)

However:

“2283 We should not despair of the eternal salvation of persons who have taken their own lives. By ways known to him alone, God can provide the opportunity for salutary repentance. The Church prays for persons who have taken their own lives.”
(Catechism, 2283)

12 Roe v. Wade and the Constitution:

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