Signs in the Stars

BBC News - Case made for 'ninth planet'
BBC News reports: "American astronomers say they have strong evidence that there is a ninth planet in our Solar System orbiting far beyond even the dwarf world Pluto. The team, from the California Institute of Technology (Caltech), has no direct observations to confirm its presence just yet. Rather, the scientists make the claim based on the way other far-flung objects are seen to move. But if proven, the putative planet would have 10 times the mass of Earth. The Caltech astronomers have a vague idea where it ought to be on the sky, and their work is sure to fire a campaign to try to track it down."

Comment: I was once asked the difference between "signs in the stars" (Luke 21:25) and "signs and wonders in the heavens" (Joel 2:30; Luke 21:11; Acts 2:19).  I tend to think the difference is simply where you are looking. If you can see if in the sky (like a shooting star or eclipse) then it's a "sign in the heavens" and if we are talking about stellar phenomena that can be observed by telescopes (or inferred by observations of planets using telescopes, as in this news report), then it's a "sign in the stars." Remember, Paul accepted that there are three heavens (2 Corinthians 12:2–4) , the first is the sky and atmosphere, the second is space, and the third is heaven, the abode of God.