NASA shares Diwali wishes with a cosmic twist, reveals Hubble image of...

On Diwali, NASA extended warm wishes for the festival on their official X (formerly Twitter) account. Alongside their message was a beautiful image captured by the Hubble Space Telescope, showing a hotbed of star formation in M17, also known as the Omega Nebula. Their post read, "Wishing you a joyful #Diwali! Just as the cosmos lights up our universe with endless wonder, Diwali illuminates our homes and hearts."

Wishing you a joyful #Diwali!

Just as the cosmos lights up our universe with endless wonder, Diwali illuminates our homes and hearts. In this image, @NASAHubble captures a hotbed of star formation within M17, aka the Omega Nebula: https://t.co/5Kt96RzT0U pic.twitter.com/wLDcaQZBgk

— NASA (@NASA) October 31, 2024

Adding a personal touch from space, NASA astronaut Sunita Williams, currently stationed aboard the International Space Station (ISS), shared her own heartfelt Diwali greetings for people celebrating around the world. In a special video message from space, she began with the words, "Greetings from the ISS," sending her warmest Diwali wishes, especially to those celebrating at the White House. Williams’ message resonated during the White House’s Diwali celebration, where she acknowledged President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris for their support of the Indian-American community. She expressed her gratitude, saying, “Thank you to the President and Vice President for celebrating with our community and recognising the contributions we make.”

In her video, Williams highlighted the deeper meaning of Diwali, calling it a “celebration of joy” and of good prevailing over evil. As she currently orbits 260 miles above Earth on the ISS, Williams has been in space since June 6, 2023, after launching on Boeing's Starliner spacecraft with astronaut Butch Wilmore. Although their mission was initially planned to be brief, they remain in orbit due to potential risks with an early return. Now, the crew is expected to stay on the ISS until February 2025.

Beyond NASA, the Diwali spirit also spread to tech giants as they joined in celebrating the festival. Sundar Pichai, CEO of Alphabet and Google, shared his enthusiasm for Diwali on Threads, saying, “Diwali is one of my favourite times of the year… always fun to fill the house with light. Wish those who celebrate a Happy Diwali.” Apple CEO Tim Cook also continued his tradition, posting a photo by Indian photographer Rohit Vohra, showing Diwali diyas on rose petals. Cook shared his thoughts on the festival’s themes of light, unity, and hope with the message: “Wishing everyone celebrating a joyous and peaceful Festival of Lights.”

This year, Diwali is truly a global celebration, spreading messages of light and joy from Earth’s orbit to tech leaders’ homes, reaching people around the world.