|
THE MILKY WAY AND BEYOND
Jim made the following notes while viewing the Video, “The
Milky Way and Beyond” produced by Moody Video, 820 N. LaSalle
Boulevard, Chicago, IL 60610. I would highly recommend you get and view this excelent production. (Feel free to print this out)
Intro:
- Our universe
is so vast that we can’t even think of it in terms we are comfortable with; thousands of miles, millions of miles, etc.
-The light year
is the only method of measurement useable.
- a light year is
the speed at which light will travel in a years time going at 186,000 miles a second.
- is equal to 66.7
millions miles per hour and 6 trillion miles per year - That’s 6,000,000,000,000 miles per year.
- at this speed you can
- circumvent the earth in the snap of a finger.
- reach the moon in 1.3 seconds.
- reach the sun in 8 minutes.
- reach the nearest star, Alpha Centura, in 4 years.
-Our Solar System
-1/1000 of a light year in
diameter. It is like a pinpoint on one arm of the Milky Way Glaxy.
- contains 200 billion stars.
- is ½ of a light year in circumference.
- in comparison to
the entire known universe would be
comparable to the size of a coffee cup placed in the entire North American Continent.
-The Milky Way Galaxy
- Our solar system is
25,000 light years from the center of the MWG.
- The MWG is 100 million light years across.
- It contains over 100 Billion stars.
- The arms of the
MWG rotate, like a carousel spirally at speeds of 9,000 miles per minute, 540,000 miles per hour.
Nebula
- These are islands of hydrogen gas and dust.
- Most all are larger that our own Solar System.
- The Eagle Nebula:
-It’s believed that stars are formed here.
- The Crab Nebula:
-On July 1054 AD, Chinese Astronomers discovered a
bright light in the sky, which they called “Guess Star”.
It was later discovered to be a dead star some 6,500 light years away.
Super Nova
- Name given for the death of a star.
- In SN, particles
are packed into an extremely dense pack to make a pulsar.
- These can be 20 miles in
diameter. 100’s have been discovered since 1968.
Black Holes
- These are formed when a star dies.
- They have
tremendous gravitational pull. Millions of times that of the sun’s on the planets of our solar system.
The beginning of man’s knowledge of God’s Universe.
- 1924, Edwin Hubble
, through his telescope found out that
what, before that time were thought to be stars in our own solar system, were really new galaxies separate from our own.
- These galaxies:
- were countless in number.
- shaped like spirals, containing gases, dust and stars.
- those elliptical in shape, containing only stars.
- irregular shaped. 2% of all galaxies are like this.
- many of these are drawn together in clusters and chains.
- a penny held at arms length towards the constellation Colabearanesus, will block from view a 1,000 galaxies.
The Orbiting Hubble Space Telescope:
-Became well known in 1993.
-orbits the earth some 300 miles out in space.
-allows us to make accurate measurements to the stars.
-after being locked on a
pinpoint area in the vicinity of the handle
of the big dipper or 10 days, it was revealed that at least 1500 galaxies existed in just that area alone. Many of these were seen as light 1/4 billionth that of the dimmest light the human eye can see.
Quasrs(Quasi Stellar Radio Sources) were discovered
at the edge of the universe.
-These emit light so
bright that the amount of star burned up in one second in a quasar is equal to that burned up by our sun in 10 million years.
-The source of quasars is still unknown.
-We do know huge black holes exist in the middle of these.
-They have so much pull,
that they draw galaxies into them, using their new found energy to give off vast amounts of light.
The Size of the Universe.
-The Bible says it best;
(Isa 51:13 KJV) And forgettest the LORD thy maker, that hath
stretched forth the heavens,
and laid the foundations of the earth; and hast feared continually every day because of the fury of the oppressor, as if he were ready to destroy? and where is the fury of the oppressor?
-Over 100 Billion galaxies
each containing 200 Billion stars on average.
-It’s thought that
there are more stars in the heavens than there
are grains of sand on all the sea shores of the earth. And these stars each have trillions of miles of space between them.
-To put it all in
perspective let’s travel though the universe at the speed of light
(6 trillion miles per
year, 66.7 million miles per hour, 186,000 miles a second).
-Beginning at midnight January 1st:
-we pass our own sun in 8 minutes and 19 seconds 3 million miles
-we pass Pluto in 5 hours and 31 minutes 3 ½ billion miles
-we reach Alpha Centauri on April 19 of the 5th year 25 trillion miles
our nearest star
-we begin seeing the area 100 years 625 trillion miles
we call the Milky Way
-we see the entire Milky Way 100,000 years 625,000 trillion miles
-From here on out every light
we see isn’t a star but an entire galaxy consisting of billions of stars each.
-we see the Milky Way as 5 million years ? miles
1 of 30 galaxies in a cluster known as The Local Group
-now comes The Vergo
Cluster 50 million years
? miles containing some 200 galaxies.
-Continuing on, and on 1 billion years ? miles
-Continuing on, and on 5 billion years ? miles
-Billions of galaxies seen as 10 billion years ? miles
the tapestry of God’s creation.
Conclusions:
-We are but microbes living on a speck of dust, we call Earth, in
the universe of God’s Creation.
-(Psalm 19:1 KJV) The heavens declare the glory of God; and the
firmament showeth his handiwork.
-Knowing God exists, is only the first step in understanding God.
-There is no greater mystery or miracle -- His love for us over all
His creation.
- (Psalm 8:3-5 KJV) When I consider thy heavens, the
work of
thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained; What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and he son of man, that thou visitest him? For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and crowned him with glory and honour.
|
