"Stars and Dust Pillars in NGC 7822 from WISE"— Processing © Francesco Antonucci Astronomy Picture of the Day (December 1, 2014); Image Credit: WISE, IRSA, NASA

NGC 7822: Galactic Birth In a galaxy 3000 light-years away at the northern constellation Cepheus— swirls of star dust & pixie dust clouds are being sculpted into a galactic birth. At left, stars forming a mountain shaped like the Platonic Lambda Λ— Soul of the Universe— Is it here where everything has its beginning? At upper-right, waxing crescent moon— a good time to sow more star seeds. Count them— twenty sparkling stars to make wishes so that your dreams may come true. At the center— a bright Tunnel of Light seen by those with near-death experience, claimed by some as mere hallucination, just dying brain cells of firing neurons. But NASA's WISE satellite has captured the Light Tunnel as Hieronymus Bosch did in his painting Ascent of the Blessed (1490) where we may be teleported upon dying. Is it coincidental that the numbers of NGC 7822 galaxy matches the 78 cards of the Tarot and 22 cards of Major Arcana? A wise old gypsy gives this reading— Don't be afraid of Yama, Lord of Death with his shining mirror that recorded your whole life— just admit your faults. The Magus sculpts stars with his wand, Moon says it's propitious time to follow the Hermit into the River of Light where the High Priestess welcomes your new birth.       Peter Y. Chou       Mountain View, 12-22-2014