|
The Universe – God’s
Neighborhood
MP3
Ever wonder what you might be doing for eternity in the Kingdom of God?
Actually the Bible does not specifically say. Notice…
But as
it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered
into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that
love him. But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the
Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.
--1 Corinthians 2:9-10
For
since the beginning of the world men have not heard, nor perceived by
the ear, neither hath the eye seen, O God, beside thee, what he hath
prepared for him that waiteth for him.
--Isaiah 64:4
Though we don’t yet know what God has planned, we have a small idea of
the neighborhood in which it will take place. I am talking about what
we call “the known Universe.” For hundreds of years, man has been
looking out into space and for all his technology, he has only been able
to create a star map that goes out 14 billion light years. Let us take
a look at that map.
TERMS
For this record:
1] A light year is the distance
light travels in one year. In “Star Trek” jargon, a starship, going
Warp 1 is going the speed of light.
2] A dwarf galaxy is a galaxy
having in the tens of millions of stars.
3] A large galaxy is a galaxy
having billions of stars.
4] A group of galaxies are the
smallest aggregates of galaxies. They typically contain fewer than 50
galaxies in a diameter of three to six million light years. The group,
which contains our own galaxy, the Milky Way, is called the Local Group,
and contains more than 40 galaxies.
5] Clusters are larger than
groups, although there is no sharp dividing line between a group and a
cluster. Typically they contain 50 to 1000 galaxies in diameters of 6
to 30 million light years.
6] Supercluster: A large
concentration of hundreds or thousands of groups of galaxies.
Superclusters range in size from 100 million to 500 million light years
and are usually embedded in large sheets and walls of galaxies
surrounding large voids in which very few galaxies exist. A Supercluster
could contain 1000 galaxy groups of some 50 galaxies each or 50,000
galaxies.
Note: As you
go through the next section, be sure to reference the star maps at the
source.
The purpose here is to put you in awe rather than to have you
overwhelmed by the figures.
VIEW OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD
50,000 Light Years
Number of stars within 50,000 light years,
which is the Milky Way Galaxy = 200 billion
500,000 Light Years
Number of large galaxies within 500,000 light years = 1
Number of
dwarf galaxies within 500,000 light years = 9
Number of stars
within 500,000 light years = 225 billion
5
Million Light Years
Number of large galaxies within 5 million light years = 3
Number of dwarf galaxies within 5 million light years = 37
Number of stars within 5 million light years = 700 billion
The Milky Way is one of three large
galaxies belonging to the group of galaxies called the Local Group which
also contains several dozen dwarf galaxies.
100 Million Light
Years
Number of galaxy groups within 100
million light years = 200
Number of large galaxies within 100
million light years = 2,500
Number of dwarf galaxies within 100
million light years = 25,000
Number of stars within 100 million
light years = 200 trillion
Our galaxy is just one of thousands
that lie within 100 million light years.
1 Billion Light Years
Number of superclusters within 1 billion light years = 100
Number of galaxy groups within 1
billion light years = 240,000
Number of large galaxies within 1
billion light years = 3 million
Number of dwarf galaxies within 1
billion light years = 30 million
Number of stars within 1 billion
light years = 250,000 trillion
14 Billion Light Years – The Visible Universe
Number of superclusters in the
visible universe = 10 million
Number of galaxy groups in the
visible universe = 25 billion
Number of large galaxies in the
visible universe = 350 billion
Number of dwarf galaxies in the
visible universe = 3.5 trillion
Number of stars in the visible
universe = 30 billion trillion
Number of planets in the visible universe = 300 billion trillion to a
googol (1 followed by 1 one-hundred zeroes) or more
The Zinger
It is estimated that what we call “the Visible Universe”
and its 30 billion trillion stars is but a speck on a huge piece of
white butcher paper going off in every direction for hundreds of MILES.
In reality, the prevailing belief is that the Universe goes out in all
directions forever.
So when you wonder what we might be doing for eternity in the Kingdom of
God, begin by meditating on the neighborhood in which it will take
place. God, Himself, will set up His headquarters right here on earth
and rule this endless Universe from New Jerusalem.
Oh how
great is thy goodness, which thou hast laid up for them that fear thee;
which thou hast wrought for them that trust in thee before the sons of
men! -- Psalm
31:19
Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of
my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of
the world.
-- Matthew 25:34
Source and galaxy maps:
http://www.atlasoftheuniverse.com/
|