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Category: General / Topics: COVID-19 Religion Science & Technology

Stars in the Sky

by Dan Seagren

Posted: April 12, 2020

More than the grains of sand on earth…

Editors Note: In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, it's hard to focus on anything else. On this Easter Morning, Dan turns to contemplate the wonders of the universe.

Its been said that there are More stars in the sky than grains of sand on earth and the diameter of the observable universe about 93 billion light-years (28 billion parsecs). (Parsec: a unit of measure for interstellar space that is equal to 3.26 light-years and is the distance to an object having a parallax of one second as seen from points separated by one astronomical unit).

For me these are mind boggling figures. I have less doubt about grains of sand but you'd never catch me trying to count the grains in a bushel of sand. Here's more: The universe is currently estimated at roughly 13.8 billion years old, give or take 130 million years. In comparison, the solar system is only about 4.6 billion years old. If the universe is roughly 13.8 billion years old, but the solar system is only 4.6 billion years old, what happened in those in between years without a solar system?

If the universe is roughly 13.8 billion years old, and expanding, if the universe was born with the Big Bang as an unimaginably hot, dense point. When the universe was just a hundredth of a billionth of a trillionth of a trillionth of a second in age (10 to the 34th power). The work that goes into understanding the expanding universe comes from a combination of theoretical physics and direct observations by astronomers.

However in some cases astronomers have not been able to see direct evidence. Maybe later we will know more. Makes me wonder how they could tell the beginning was a Big Bang much less hear it. Maybe scientists can still invent bigger and better tools. Meanwhile we'll have to wait. One major question: are there other planets or the equivalent able to support humans, animals and agriculture?

Moving from science to revelation (divine) we have the biblical account In the beginning God (supernatural) created the heaven and the earth (male and female), an animal, a gated garden, (agriculture). The man and woman had no ancestors, but apparently linguistic skills and intelligence instantly or very quickly. We don't know how long it took for Adam and Eve to hide because they were unclothed nor do we know how a snake could talk unless via an outside source (divine?).

Counting stars depending on science or revelation (divine insight), or both, does await our consideration . . . and wonder!, 



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Dan Seagren is an active retiree whose writings reflect his life as a Pastor, author of several books, and service as a Chaplain in a Covenant Retirement Community.

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Posted: April 12, 2020   Accessed 394 times

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