Have you ever looked at a picture of another galaxy? Have you ever seen a sample picture of the Milky Way? Of course we little people can’t even get a real picture of our own galaxy from the outside, you know why? ‘Cause we’ve never been outside to take pictures. These pictures really dwarf our idea of a ‘big’ world. They make you feel small.
Our solar system is a massive system with massive planets and stars. For example, did you know that, 1,000,000 (1 million) Earths fit in the sun? And the sun is only a little (but important) part of our solar system. So now we have this massive solar system—until we look at the Milky Way galaxy. The diameter of the Milky is, 100,000 light years (approximately 590 quadrillion miles—write it out, it is a long number!). Further more, the Milky Way is a spiral galaxy, which means it looks similar to a hurricane, and most spiral galaxies have at least three main arms. Did you know our solar system is at the end of one of the Milky’s arms? That means our solar system is but a fraction of the Milky Way galaxy.
Can you guess where I’m going next? You guessed it! I’m going further then the Milky; I’m going to infinity—and beyond!
How many galaxies do you think there are? Well, not even the most intelligent rocket scientist knows that. Have you ever heard of Andromeda? It’s a BIGGER galaxy then the Milky. Andromeda and the Milky are the two largest of about twenty galaxies clustered in a group known as, the Local Group. And it is believed that our Local Group is part of a larger cluster known as a supercluster, and that the universe is filled with superclusters.
Looking through his most powerful telescopes, man can see galaxies billions of light years away, but the edge of the universe is nowhere in sight. The total number of galaxies in the known universe is presently estimated to greatly exceed one hundred billion.
So now what do you think? Zoom out for a minute—further out—uh still further! Take a look, see those itty bitty little spots are Andromeda and the Milky Way. And see this; these are quadrillions of other superclsters. And each supercluster has millions of galaxies—and look! It never ends! You can fly 999,999,999,999,999,999,999,999,999,999,999,999,999 of light years away, and still go on. The universe has no end. (No wonder God took a rest on the seventh day!!)
We will zoom out further, till the superclusters are little itty bitty spots. Now you’re thinking, “So this is God’s view, eh?” Well, he’s even farther out still, but we can’t go that far, our imaginations would explode. But this distance will do.
Now, see if you can find—out of all those spots called superclusters—our supercluster. And then see if you can find the Local Group? Then the Milky Way? Then our solar system, then finally Earth? Can you do that from way out here? I don’t think so!!! Now look at it this way, God’s view is way out there, so far out that we with our mortal eyes can’t even see our suppercluster. But God has good eyesight. From that view, then move to earth. You definitely can’t see that little planet from out there. There are more then 6 billion people on Earth. There are more then 600 people in my family!
And—here is an extremely moving thought—from God’s view way up there, with all these infinite number of superclusters, and six billion people—God loves me? God pays attention to ME? Who am I? Six billion + other, cooler people, besides all those other planets and galaxies and stars, and oofta! He cares about me? Little ole me? Me? Why? Why me? I don’t get it God? You have many places to focus your attention to, other then Earth! And even then, there are more perfect people! There are smarter, wiser, better people out there, and you would care for me? And die for me! It’s too much! I can’t take it! Why a wretch like me? Why waste your time? You could be giving someone or something else double time!
Isn’t that amazing? What an extremely, enormously, huge, wonderful, awesome thought? That God would love me and you! We’re just fractions of the country, let alone the world, let alone the solar system, let alone the galaxy, let alone the Local Group, let alone the supercluster, let alone the quadrillions of superclusters, let alone THE UNIVERSE! Out of all that, God would notice me……
“Amazing Grace—how sweet the sound, That saved a wretch like me! I once was lost, but now am found; Was blind, but now I see.”
The majority of my information came from, A Beka Book 8th grade science, Matter & Motion, in God’s Universe.
Imagine if this huge galaxy was a really really small dot? And then picture quadrillions of other galaxies. All around it? One MASSIVE universe.