An astounding NASA X-ray image taken by a space telescope reveals an interstellar object many are calling the "Hand of God".
NASA's NuSTAR (Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array) witnessed the celestial phenomena last year using high-energy X-rays, shown in blue.
Space.com reported back in January 2014 that the "Hand of God" image was produced when a star exploded, propelling a cloud of material outwards.
NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory previously captured the green and red areas, using minor-energy X-rays.
"NuSTAR's unique viewpoint, in seeing the highest-energy X-rays, is showing us well-studied objects and regions in a whole new light," said NuSTAR investigator Fiona Harrison of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.
Scientists have no ready explanation and are unsure why the ejected material from the exploding star may actually assume the anatomical proportions of a hand or if its interaction with stellar particles just makes it look that way.
"We don't know if the hand shape is an optical illusion," Hongjun An, of McGill University in Montreal, said.
"With NuSTAR, the hand looks more like a fist, which is giving us some clues."
Although the Hand of God appears to be of preternatural origin, scientists say the cosmic imagery was created by naturally occurring astrophysical events.