17. STARS GOD SET IN PLACE IN SPIRAL GALAXIES
DR. EARL PARVIN, 6/3/21
“When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and THE STARS, WHICH YOU HAVE SET IN PLACE, what is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them?” [Ps 8:3-4]. That statement is the more awesome when you read of the “mind-numbing hosts” of stars [Gen 15:5]. One can feel mighty insignificant when you consider how awesome is God’s starry Heaven. They are suggesting the stars number 300 sextillion. [24 zeros]
When God displayed His glory in the heavens, one of the ways He chose was to create an intricate, detailed, fabric in space. It would showcase His celestial wonders He would personally call them forth and carefully set each piece exactly where it would obey His command. They would be in such numbers in the manifold space to work together that only a Master Architect could design such an undertaking so that each piece would be free to orbit with each other even in such an enormous setting as galactic space measured in light years [ly]. [A ly is 6 trillion miles]. The observable universe is suggested to be 93 billion ly in diameter.
It was clearly stated that each and every numbered and named star would have its own splendor [1 Cor. 15:41]. But what a challenging revelation it was to see how majestic the settings of the stars would be to display that individual glory for stars seldom are solo. I speak of the several kinds of galactic settings God designed for the stars and one particular galaxy design especially. Those settings are the Elliptical Galaxies that make up 60%, the Irregular Galaxies 20% and the beautiful Spiral Galaxies 20 %. Both the Elliptical and Spiral Galaxies are shaped with a round disk 200,000ly in diameter and a couple hundred light years thick. The Spiral Galaxy is by far the most spectacular in displaying stars in a beautiful setting. Similarly, it is like the setting of a diamond ring which displays regally the beauty of the stone no matter its size in carrots. Note, the most galactic settings found to date is said to be the Spiral Galaxy by 70%.
Before exploring the spectacle of our Milky Way’s Barred Spiral Galaxy
let us for comparison purposes consider the massive Globular Supercluster Stars
of which there are many. The largest Supercluster in the Milky Way is called
the Omega Centauri. It is 150 ly in diameter, containing 10 million stars in
just one cluster. It is noted that these Globular clusters are placed by God
symmetrically around the galaxy. They are located 17,000 ly from Earth and
boast 4 million solar masses as the brightest visible stars in the heavens.
Note please that stars tend to cluster because God so placed them there. At
such a distance they would appear as one star even though each star in the
globular cluster is about one ly apart. The extreme numbers increase the
luminosity. We will return to these globular clusters of stars later. It is
also noteworthy to realize that when one looks up at the night sky, the
International Space Station is 220 miles up. It can be seen with the naked eye.
The planets can be seen as well at times. The Milky Way is 1,000 ly thick and
we are stationed on earth within the MW.
Light travels at 186,000 m/s or 6 trillion miles in one year.
We read in Isaiah that God “marshaled” the stars He created in droves. “It is I who made the earth and created mankind on it. My own hands stretched out the heavens; I marshaled their starry hosts” [45:12]. The word “marshaled” is in Hebrew [zawah] which means He ordered or commanded them. I note that in Genesis 1:14-15] when the stars were created the Hebrew word was [yahi], “let be” which is an order or a command. After He commanded them into existence, then He personally set the stars in their respective places.
It is noteworthy that the Psalmist also repeats this scenario, “Let them [stars] praise the name of the Lord, for at his command they were created, and he set them in place for ever and ever— he issued a decree that will never pass away [148:5-6]
Now let us consider our Milky Way’s [MW] Barred Spiral Galaxy setting for up to 400 billion stars. That number in just one of many galaxies! No wonder when you look up into the night sky at the MW above, the starry heaven looks so much like someone spilled milk across it! It is a wonder to behold since more powerful telescopes have revealed the individual nature of the cloud as being stars in the MW.
CONSTELLATIONS
There are 30 constellations related to the MW. Each of the constellations highlight bright stars as markers of certain points such as the big dipper which is known as an asterism. The constellation Orion displays certain special giant stars such as “Beetlejuice” and “Regel”.
THE SIZE & SHAPE OF THE MW GALAXY
The MW is thought to be a huge, round disk 200,000 ly in diameter and 1000 ly thick. The edges of the disk are thought to be warped instead of straight out. The center of the disk is thought to have a “galactic bulge” with a concentration of ten million compact stars. These stars are so-called Red Giants which shine brightly. There are also SUPERGIANT STARS which are much larger and brighter. Of course there are those beautiful, colorful nebulae or supernova composed of interstellar ionized gas, leftovers of stars which have used-up their atomic fuel of turning hydrogen into helium.
The barycenter of the MW is also thought to house a supermassive Black Hole some 14 million ly across containing 33 million solar masses, surrounded by another concentration of brilliant stars. The BH is named Sagittarius A*, which is the source of strong, powerful radio signals although no light can escape. Late breaking news is that the abundance of stars in the MW may each host a smaller stellar Black Hole of 30 solar masses. That is potentially a lot of BH.
FERMI BUBBLES
Above and below the central massive BH of the MW are two Fermi Bubbles of plasma of gamma rays. These massive bubbles extend 25,000 ly above and below the MW for a total of 50,000 ly.
Inside the MW crossing the galactic center is another grouping of stars shaped like a huge plank of wood, with one end pointing toward the planet earth and rotating as a cylinder. The Evolutionists have no real explanation for this phenomenon. Why are these stars turning sidewise inside a spinning pinwheel like spiral galaxy. Nor can they explain how the bar can cross over the BH which occupies the epicenter.
Every galaxy rotates on its own GALACTIC PLANE embedded in the fabric of the universe. Einstein in the 1900s determined that this fabric is the bending of the Time Space Continuum. Newton a hundred years before determined that gravity is mass attracts mass. I suggest that both are right. The MW rotates at 155 miles per second. There are two parallel disks containing stars. The one thin disk is rotating at 500,000 miles per hour. It seems to be coincident with the galactic plane which is 1100 ly in thickness. The stars in the arms are said to be able to move up and down the spiral arms as needed. The speed of rotation of the arms is too fast for the predicted speed of the evolutionist. Scientists cannot explain this phenomenon, not being willing to rethink their evolutionary theory. It would be too simplistic to admit that God had set the rotation speed and is sustaining His galactic creations, all 226 Trillion.
The second disk has fewer stars and is up to 16 ly thick.
SPURS
Between the two main arms of the spirals, 6000 ly apart, are spurs. The Orion Spur is 28,000 ly from Galactic Center / Black Hole and is home to our Sun, Earth and other planets in our Solar System Bubble. The Orion Spur is 3500 ly wide and 10,000 ly long.
It is my understanding that creating Earth was God’s objective, to make it inhabitable [not empty, Isaiah 45:18]. He makes no hint of making any other planet habitable. Yet they are feverishly looking for such exoplanets and claim to have found many candidate systems even in our solar bubble! Now is that not just like God to make some 17 billion exoplanets nearby as a tantalizing joke?
OUR SUN/STAR
Ma y I make one more word about our sun? It is also a very special star. It is said to be an average G-2 star. There are many other larger stars, more luminous. But our sun/star is very stable; while the other candidates are not; therefore we are protected from solar storm outbursts which are lethal to life itself as well as potentially destructive to our life style which is dependent on and addicted to our electrical grid.
MILKY WAY’S BAR OF STARS and STAR-LIGHT TWO ARMS
The MW contains a bar shaped layer of stars. Attached to the two ends of the bar are two lengthy curved arms full of stars some 15,000 ly long. The shape of these arms seem to flow from the galactic body. This lends a heavenly aura to the prestigious beauty of its abundant brilliant blue stars.
THICK DISK AND BULGE
The thick disk is 4,000 ly thick with more stars. The bulge is 16,000 ly thick crammed full of red giant stars.
VOIDS
One other characteristic of the fabric of the universe is that galaxies and their clusters are separated from each other by colossal voids, super voids, up to 330 million ly across. These voids are still populated by galaxies, but more sparsely. The MW Galaxy is said to be on the edge of the Local Void 200 billion ly across. The MW Galaxy is thought to be a part of the Local Group, the Virgo Super Group, Great Attracter Super Group, Shapley and Vela Super groups. All crammed full of brilliant stars.
HALOS
Finally, the MW Barred Spiral Galaxy is surrounded by a series of halos. There is a Galactic Halo and a Stellar Halo of red dwarf Globular Clusters of rotating Stars which is 400,000 ly in diameter. These rotating stars are very luminous. Some are rotating in the opposite direction at enormous speeds. The halos may become host to Bubbles and Super Bubbles of hot gasses from dying stars which display very colorful and bright stars.
The entire galaxy is wrapped in a halo of hot gasses called a galactic corona.
SPECIAL STARS
The galaxy is host to many different kinds of stars. There are the Cepheid Variable Stars which vary in their luminosity and size in a regular fashion. They are used as a cosmic yardstick for astronomers. Some are named such as Mira, but there are 100,000 known variables. There are also Pulsars which have a timed-pulsing light from a dying, rotating, neutron star.
SUMMARY
The Milky Way Barred Spiral Galaxy is but one of many spiral beauties but it is special. It exhibits God’s attention to fine detail and extensive design. I feel that God is gracious in His keen sense of brilliant humor. The stars in themselves are wonderfully expressive, but in their Galactic setting stars outdo themselves in showcasing God’s majesty. I found myself at times overwhelmed with awe at what He was willing to share in understanding of that which was otherwise unknowable about Himself.
“For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse” [Rom. 1:20, Col. 1:15-16]
What has been revealed about God has been that much more enthralling by the setting in which the stars were placed in Spiral Galaxies.
Now notice Paul’s admonition, “14 Do everything without grumbling or arguing, 15 so that you may become blameless and pure, “children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.”[a] Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky 16 as you hold firmly to the word of life [Phil. 2:14-16].