Behold “the Eye of God,” sent to me by my mother. From her e-mail, which was forwarded to her in Hebrew and English:

This photo was taken with the aid of the NASA Hubble telescope, and it only happens every 3000 years. It is called the Eye of God. A lot of miracles happened to those that have gazed upon this, so make seven wishes, even if you do not believe in it, and see what happens, what changes in your life. Send this to 18 (Chai) people on whom you would like to bestow well wishes.

Because I want to bestow well wishes on every single person who happens upon this site, I’m sharing it with you.

However, because I’m a nosy little thing, I’ve discovered that this lovely sentiment is a minor Internet hoax, although who benefits is beyond me. According to UrbanLegends.com and Snopes.com, it is indeed a photo, or rather a composite of a series of photos of the Helix Nebula taken by the Hubble telescope. And rather than it only occuring once every three millenia, it’s always there. Just like God.

So go ahead, enjoy it, but don’t feel compelled to wish so hard upon a star that you get a migraine.

Hat tip to my mom.