A handful of sand vs. the size of the universe
I recently had a business trip that took me to Middletown, Rhode Island. As I usually do, I took some time to go on a run to see the local sights (so many good things happen when I run!). I ran along the beautiful RI coastline, and enjoyed the spectacular scenery.
I stopped at a beach and started thinking about grains of sand. Several verses in scripture mention the sands of the sea in describing an extremely large number. The Lord promised Abraham an innumerable posterity after Abraham demonstrated his faith and obedience:
"That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore." (Genesis 22:17)
In thinking about the number of grains of sand on that beach, I remembered an article I read recently that compared the estimated number of stars in the known universe with the number of grains of sand on earth (specifics from that article coming up shortly). I wanted to get a real, tactile sense of trying to estimate a tiny portion of sand, so I scooped some up in my hand and took a picture:
There was really no practical way I could even begin to count the number of grains of sand in my hand, so for the next photo, I simply took a tiny pinch of sand between two fingers and put it into my palm:
It felt like barely anything between my fingers, but even in that small amount, it's easy to estimate that there are several hundred grains of sand. Looking at the larger handful of sand above, it must easily be 10,000 grains of sand or more. A quick amount of research shows estimates of 9,800 grains in a cubic inch of coarse sand (and this was fine sand), so I think my estimate is low, if anything.
Now, here is where things start to get really interesting! The next question is: how many stars in the night sky are visible to the naked eye? That question has been definitively answered for several years: 9,096 stars are visible from the earth without using magnification. But since we can only see half of the celestial sphere at a time, what's visible to us is half of that number, or 4,548. (see reference link #1 below)
So, the number of grains of sand I held in my hand is more than the number of stars we can see from earth! Now, think about all of the handfuls of sand just on that beach where I was standing:
Clearly, thousands and thousands of handfuls of sand are there on that beach.
But, we haven't even scratched the surface! Now, let's think about the estimated number of stars in the known universe. That number, of course, far exceeds what we can see with our eyes from Earth. With the advent of the Hubble space telescope and other precision equipment, scientists are now able to see farther into space and understand the immensity of our universe in ways that simply were not possible even just a few decades ago. Places in the sky that were previously thought to be mostly empty were later found to have thousands of galaxies, which each have billions of stars!
So, how many stars are in the known universe, and how does that number compare to all of the grains of sand on the earth?
Think about my handful of sand, with more grains than the visible stars. Think about hundreds of thousands of handfuls of sand just along one stretch of beach. Think about the hundreds of thousands of miles of shoreline in the world (372,000 is NASA's estimate - reference link #2). And oh, by the way, don't forget about all of the deserts in the world, such as the Sahara desert, which covers 31% of the entire African continent, or about 3.5 million square miles, all full of sand.
Do you think there are as many stars in the known universe as there are grains of sand on Earth?
It's not even close.
The number of stars in the known universe is estimated to be equal to the number of grains of sand on 100,000 Earths.
Wow!
That blows my mind. It's incomprehensible to me, really. There is really no way any of us can wrap our mind around those kinds of numbers and size.
Now, we get to the heart of the matter. This indescribably enormous universe exists. That's a fact. We live in it.
The real question is: how did it come into existence?
We've all heard of the supposed "Big Bang Theory." It attempts to describe the origins of the universe, and theorizes that everything just suddenly sprang into existence in a terrific explosion, and that all of these stars and planets just came into being from some central spot, and the universe is still expanding outward.
What this theory doesn't even began to explain, at least to my satisfaction, is how that beginning happened. What was the source of the energy that caused a "big bang?" Where did all of the material that makes up stars and planets come from? What decided when and how and where it happened? With all due respect to the scientific community, believing in the Big Bang Theory as the definitive explanation for the origin of the universe is every bit as much of a religious belief as a belief in God, our Supreme Creator.
Why is it so far-fetched to believe that there is a Being whose power, capability, and understanding eclipse our own? I honestly find it supremely arrogant to believe that mankind, living on our little planet Earth, which is only one of billions of trillions of planets, is the highest possible form of life in the entire universe. Yes, we have a beauty contest we call Miss Universe, but seriously!
No, my friends - the only explanation that can make any sense is that God is real, and that He did indeed create the entire universe and world upon which we stand. He has power and ability that we can't comprehend, but that incomprehension is perhaps somewhat similar to the way a dog simply couldn't comprehend how man could travel to the moon.
It makes logical sense to my mind that God exists and is real, especially when I think about the massive size of the universe. In my view, it just simply could not have happened any other way.
Even more importantly, He has communicated directly to me through His chosen medium, the Holy Ghost, and let me know that He lives, that He loves me, and that somehow, even though I'm barely even a speck on this lonely little planet gliding through the unfathomable immensity of His universe, He knows who I am, and who you are, as only a Heavenly Parent can do.
Go outside on a clear night sometime soon, stare at the stars, reach out to your Heavenly Father in prayer, and see how you feel. Let the awe and wonder of His vast creations and His love for you enter into your heart to stay. It's happened for me, for which I am profoundly grateful.
Now, we get to the heart of the matter. This indescribably enormous universe exists. That's a fact. We live in it.
The real question is: how did it come into existence?
We've all heard of the supposed "Big Bang Theory." It attempts to describe the origins of the universe, and theorizes that everything just suddenly sprang into existence in a terrific explosion, and that all of these stars and planets just came into being from some central spot, and the universe is still expanding outward.
What this theory doesn't even began to explain, at least to my satisfaction, is how that beginning happened. What was the source of the energy that caused a "big bang?" Where did all of the material that makes up stars and planets come from? What decided when and how and where it happened? With all due respect to the scientific community, believing in the Big Bang Theory as the definitive explanation for the origin of the universe is every bit as much of a religious belief as a belief in God, our Supreme Creator.
Why is it so far-fetched to believe that there is a Being whose power, capability, and understanding eclipse our own? I honestly find it supremely arrogant to believe that mankind, living on our little planet Earth, which is only one of billions of trillions of planets, is the highest possible form of life in the entire universe. Yes, we have a beauty contest we call Miss Universe, but seriously!
No, my friends - the only explanation that can make any sense is that God is real, and that He did indeed create the entire universe and world upon which we stand. He has power and ability that we can't comprehend, but that incomprehension is perhaps somewhat similar to the way a dog simply couldn't comprehend how man could travel to the moon.
It makes logical sense to my mind that God exists and is real, especially when I think about the massive size of the universe. In my view, it just simply could not have happened any other way.
Even more importantly, He has communicated directly to me through His chosen medium, the Holy Ghost, and let me know that He lives, that He loves me, and that somehow, even though I'm barely even a speck on this lonely little planet gliding through the unfathomable immensity of His universe, He knows who I am, and who you are, as only a Heavenly Parent can do.
Go outside on a clear night sometime soon, stare at the stars, reach out to your Heavenly Father in prayer, and see how you feel. Let the awe and wonder of His vast creations and His love for you enter into your heart to stay. It's happened for me, for which I am profoundly grateful.
3. Here are the calculations and references:
Grains of sand on Earth:
7,500,000,000,000,000,000
Stars in the known universe:
1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000
Number of Earths with equivalent grains of sand:
133,333
https://www.space.com/26078-how-many-stars-are-there.html
https://www.npr.org/sections/krulwich/2012/09/17/161096233/which-is-greater-the-number-of-sand-grains-on-earth-or-stars-in-the-sky
Grains of sand on Earth:
7,500,000,000,000,000,000
Stars in the known universe:
1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000
Number of Earths with equivalent grains of sand:
133,333
https://www.space.com/26078-how-many-stars-are-there.html
https://www.npr.org/sections/krulwich/2012/09/17/161096233/which-is-greater-the-number-of-sand-grains-on-earth-or-stars-in-the-sky
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