Are there any phenomena that we observe today that are as magical as a nuclear explosion, but are not readily understood?

There are quite a few animal behaviors that happen all the time that most people either don’t realize there is no materialist explanation for, or don’t know about them. The coordination of insects in building and repairing elaborate nests and hives, for example. Or the ability of birds to navigate the planet over huge distances even when they are new generations whose parentls left them behind in England to go to Africa. Or multi-year multi-generational butterfly navigation patterns. Pointing this out tends you provoke irrational skeptic attacks, however.

You consider neoclear explosions “magical” ? Oookay.

Must understanding things a little more deeply mean they lose their magic? I don’t think so. However much we explain sunlight it is still beautiful and it still lights up the world.

Super novas, and the like. We’re seeing all kinds of wild things in space.

I think magnetism is pretty close to magic, in terms of how little we really understand it, anyway.

For that matter, the more you know about even electricity, visible light – and invisible electromagnetic radiation, and yes, even ionizing radiation – the Earth’s molten core (for 4.5 billion years? – that seems magical!), breathable air and life itself all seem pretty magical.

It has occurred to me more than once lately that every “thing” that we enjoy and understand now could have been enjoyed and understood by humans thousands of years ago.

Yes, it’s true that we only discovered some of the basic properties of electricity in the 1700s, for example, and only learned to produce and use it commercially within the past hundred and fifty years. But it was always “there”. Likewise, every exotic metal, every other new material, process, craft – all the way up to high-tech rockets, computers and sexy cars – “could have been” produced thousands of years ago.

The only thing that has changed in the world is human innovation, understanding and the ability to teach these new things to new generations. Think about that: every baby born today is in the same starting position as any baby born to a human family crossing the African savanna a quarter-million years ago. They start from exactly the same place: helpless infants born to loving parents who try to teach her what she needs to know to grow, stay safe, survive and thrive and start her own family.

So a Stone Age child could be born today … and learn the same things that any other human could learn today.

It’s kind of magical, isn’t it, that we can learn so much?

But apart from my scattered thoughts on the development, retention and transmission of knowledge of the world, I also think gravity itself is kind of magical. Yes, it’s totally ordinary; we deal with it every day. We don’t even think about it, because it’s a simple part of “life as it is” every day on the planet’s surface (or falling to it).

But “why”? Have you ever thought of why gravity even exists? Everything fills me with wonder, especially as I learn more about them. The whole world is magical.

OH, why, heck yes! Antibiotic resistant superbugs. I just heard about another one yesterday, a fungal type found more and more in hospitals, currently killing 60% of those who get it. Reminds me of “Invasion of the Body Snatchers.”

Consciousness – what is the neural basis of subjective experience?

Perception/Time/Causality – is the present moment physically distinct from the past and future or is it merely an emergent property of consciousness?

Dark Matter and Dark Energy.
The area beyond a black hole’s event horizon.

Global climate change—but in a black magic(al) way.

Higgs Boson particle. Antimatter. My time travel.

The human liver is quite “magical” when you realize all that it does and the abuse it can take.

Piezoelectricity. Touch that piece of ceramic and it makes a voltage you can use. And vice versa! So handy!
We all use it every day.

What @ragingloli said. Dark matter and dark energy are complete and utter mysteries.