The expanses of outer space are filled with wonderful displays of God’s creation, but man has been privileged to closely examine only a few of them. However, some parts of our solar system have been more closely observed by scientists, and so we are able to learn more of what the Bible means when it says, “One star [differs] from another star in [its] glory” (1 Corinthians 15:4141There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars: for one star differeth from another star in glory. (1 Corinthians 15:41)).
One example of this is the second-largest planet, Saturn. Nearly a billion miles from Earth, Saturn is so large that approximately 764 Earths could fit inside it. Circling around it is a magnificent halo of rings. These rings have always been there, but they were not known to astronomers until Galileo discovered them in 1610 with his small telescope. These rings spread out from Saturn more widely than the space between our Earth and its moon.
The rings surround the planet at its equator, but do not touch it. Their position seems to change as Saturn orbits the sun in an elliptical (oval-shaped) orbit, but they are always parallel to the planet’s equator. Currently, scientists know of eight major rings consisting of hundreds or even thousands of narrow “ringlets.” It is estimated that there could be as many as one thousand ringlets.
Astronomers believe the rings are actually made up of billions of chunks of ice and rock, some as small as a grain of sand, others as large as a house, and even larger. As large as the rings are, they are typically only about 30 feet high. Each ring orbits at its own speed around Saturn, the inner ring going the fastest and the outer one the slowest. Saturn’s gigantic rings have “shepherd moons” whose gravitational pull helps keep the rings sharply defined. Saturn has 146 known moons.
When we consider the amazing size and beautiful rings of Saturn, it should make us realize how special each of us is to God, because, as our opening verse says, He thinks about us. As a matter of fact, He cares so much about us that He has numbered each tiny hair on our heads. The hugeness of Saturn and the vastness of the solar system were passed by as the Lord Jesus came to Earth to die in order to save us and make us the loved children of God. Do you know Him as your own Savior?
Did You Know?
Saturn has 146 known moons.
Messages of God’s Love 9/22/2024