Astronomy: God’s Handiwork on Display
“Astronomy compels the soul to look upwards and leads off from this world to another.” (Plato)
The distance from earth to sun is more than 91 million miles. But because that number has a lot of zeros, astronomers measure that distance as one Astronomical Unit (AU). And the distance from Earth to Pluto is always a minimum of 28 AUs.
We measure outer space in light years. Every light year is more than 63 thousand AUs, or 5.87 trillion miles. It is the distance that the light from the sun would travel in one year.
The brilliant star Betelgeuse, in the constellation Orion, is 429 light-years away. The light that shines from it today was emitted in 1593, only five years after the defeat of the Spanish Armada.
But we do not need to go so far to find wonders. The planet Jupiter is so large that it’s Great Red Spot, a massive atmospheric storm raging on its surface for centuries, is the same size as planet earth.
The sun also dwarfs earth, so large that, if hollow, 109 earths could be lined up in a row inside it. This star – by no means among the largest in our galaxy, converts 4 million tons of matter into energy every second, emitting 2 billion times more energy than Tsar Bomba, the largest nuclear bomb in history. It is this energy that warms the earth and makes life possible for us.
Isn’t it amazing that God has created this entire universe, simply by speaking it into existence?
The study of astronomy teaches humility today, just as it did for the ancient Psalmist: “When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him?” (Psalm 8:3-4)
As we see the wonders of heaven, our hearts are filled with admiration, which should cause us to join in praise to God, just like the celestial bodies: “Praise him, sun and moon, praise him, all you shining stars! Praise him, you highest heavens, and you waters above the heavens!” (Psalm 148:3-4)
Astronomy also teaches the character of God and gives impetus to faith. Like Abraham, we can safely trust in a God who ‘calls into existence the things that do not exist’ (Romans 4:17).
Recently I’ve been studying astronomy, and these incredible lessons stand out. I recommend the subject to you, also, as a useful means of learning God’s wonderful creation. And if you have a half hour to watch this wordless video, which combines actual images with digital animation, you’ll be astonished by the vastness of God’s handiwork.
