Text editing: Gu Jiaxuan
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), which has been in operation since 1958, is an independent agency of the U.S. federal government. It is responsible for formulating and implementing the U.S. civil space program and conducting research related to aviation and space science.
In addition to managing space missions such as the well-known “Apollo moon landing program”, NASA also shoulders many missions such as exploring the universe and understanding and protecting the planet we live on. In order to make everyone more interested in the universe, they often share new discoveries, colorful photos of the universe and interesting astronomical knowledge on social media, attracting the attention of many astronomy fans.
You shine like the stars in this cluster
On April 19, NASA posted a photo of the Caldwell 104 star cluster taken by the Hubble Space Telescope in 2017 on its social platform X, and wrote in the content:
“It’s okay if you don’t feel sparkly today. It’s cool if you’re not feeling it. Step back for a bit. There’s just one problem. You already sparkle. Maybe you don’t see it, but others do. You belong, just like every star in this star cluster belongs.”
“If you don’t feel like you are shining today, that’s okay. Just take a step back and wait. You are already shining, and although you may not realize it yet, others around you have already seen it. You shine like the stars in this cluster.”
Whether it is observed or not, it does not affect the fact that stars shine
Photo Credit: Shutterstock / Dazhi Image
According to the introduction on NASA’s official website, Caldwell 104, also known as NGC 362, is a globular star cluster about 27,000 light-years away from us. It is composed of hundreds of thousands (or more) ancient stars. In 1826, It was discovered by humans through Scottish astronomer James Dunlop.
As NASA stated in the post, even the light emitted by stars may not be seen by people until a long, long time later. Whether it is observed or not, it does not affect the fact that stars shine.
If you feel frustrated, tired, and unmotivated to keep going at this moment, take a break. Although it may seem dark in front of you, it is only temporary because your light is on its way to the distance, just like the stars in this cluster.
References
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