Marvel at the Moonنموونە

In the Middle of the Milky Way

What’s in the middle of the Milky Way galaxy? Well, it’s not creamy chocolate and caramel! It’s a supermassive black hole formed long, long ago by a dying star. It’s named Sagittarius A*. (That * is a symbol meaning “star.”) Scientists think Sagittarius A* could be as big as sixteen million miles across. Our own Sun is “only” about 865,000 miles across!

What is a black hole? It’s an invisible object that forms when stars implode, which means they collapse in on themselves. Some black holes are as small as an atom. (An atom is the super-tiny building block that everything is made of.) But stellar black holes are up to twenty times the mass of the Sun. (Mass is how much matter is in an object.) And then there are the supermassive black holes that have the mass of one million Suns—or bigger!

The gravity of a black hole is so strong that it pulls in everything around it—even light. Once something gets sucked into a black hole, there’s no escape.

Emotions like anger, jealousy, worry, and fear can sometimes feel like a black hole—sucking all the joy and light from our lives. If we let those emotions “explode” out onto the people around us, they can suck away all their joy and light too.

If you’re feeling angry, jealous, worried, or afraid, don’t explode. And don’t stuff your feelings inside and pretend you’re not feeling a thing. Tell God everything you’re thinking and feeling. You can even tell Him you’re upset with Him. God is big enough to handle your biggest and toughest emotions. He’ll help you escape them, and He’ll pour His light and joy back into your life.

God, thank You for letting me talk to You about everything I’m feeling. I know You are listening to me. Amen.