Why Stars?

(4 Minute Read. 13Mar2024)

Map of the Milky Way Galaxy

Have you ever wondered why there are stars?

Why do we see stars out in space instead of only empty nothingness?

Why are stars out there in the blackness of space? Where did they come from?

It was only a century ago that mankind began to realize how numerous the stars are, and how enormous the universe actually is.

In 1920 two astronomers had an intense public debate about the size of the universe. It happened on April 26 at the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C. Harlow Shapley (1885–1972) of Harvard University opposed Heber Curtis (1872–1942) of the University of Pittsburgh. Shapley argued for the prevailing scientific view that the Milky Way galaxy comprised the entire universe. Curtis argued in opposition that spiral nebulae like Andromeda were huge independent galaxies far distant from the Milky Way and not within the confines of the Milky Way as Shapley believed.

Within a few years, astronomer Edwin Hubble (1889–1953) showed that Andromeda was a galaxy far distant from the Milky Way.

How many stars exist out there? How many are in our Milky Way galaxy?

Nobody knows the answer to either question. We don’t even know how many galaxies there are.

The Milky Way is but one of many billions, likely even trillions, of galaxies in the universe. Astronomers estimate there are between 200 billion (200,000,000,000) and 2 trillion (2,000,000,000,000) galaxies in the observable universe. God only knows (literally and truly) how many galaxies are in the unobservable universe.

Astronomers estimate that the Milky Way contains between 100 billion and 400 billion stars, but some estimates are much higher. Nobody knows even a good estimate for sure.

Around 600 BC, before the invention of telescopes, the prophet Jeremiah made a startling pronouncement. At that time learned men thought there were only about 4,000 stars because that was all that could be counted with the naked eye. Yet the Word of the Lord taught differently. The prophet Jeremiah quoted words of the Great Creator saying that nobody would be able to count the stars:
“As the host of heaven cannot be counted and the sand of the sea cannot be measured, so I will multiply the descendants of David My servant and the Levites who minister to Me.” (Jeremiah 33:22)

The “settled science” of Jeremiah’s day would have disputed his statement. Yet 2600 years later we now can make observations and calculations demonstrating Scripture’s accuracy. Of course the Bible was correct. And regarding the stars, we have only definitively demonstrated this within the last century.

How much of today’s “settled science” disputes the Bible? Eventually the contradictory science will be proved wrong. I prefer to trust the Word of the Lord over that of fallible scientists.

Astronomers roughly estimate the total number of stars in the observable universe to be around 200 sextillion = 2 × 10²³ = 200,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 stars. That’s 2 followed by 23 zeros! This comes from multiplying an estimate for the number of galaxies (2 trillion) by an estimate for the average number of stars in a galaxy (100 billion). However some scientists estimate the total number of stars in the universe to be 50 times this value, namely 10²⁵.

There is Someone, however, who does know the total number of stars in the universe. The Great Creator who made them has counted and named each one.
Lift up your eyes on high and see who has created these stars, the One who leads forth their host by number, He calls them all by name. Because of the greatness of His might and the strength of His power not one of them is missing. (Isaiah 40:26)
He counts the number of the stars; He gives names to all of them. Great is our Lord and abundant in strength; His understanding is infinite. (Psalm 147:4-5)

Andromeda Galaxy
A spiral galaxy with a trillion stars
about 2.5 million light-years away.

Purpose for Stars?

Why are all these stars out there?
The simple yet complete and profound answer is that the Great Creator made all the stars on Creation Day Four and placed them in the heavens. That is why the stars are there.

What is God’s purpose for the stars?

I believe there are three main purposes for the existence of the stars.

One primary purpose is to glorify the Great Creator.
The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. (Psalm 19:1)

A second primary purpose is to give clear evidence of the existence of the Great Creator to mankind. The multitude of stars in the immense expanse of the universe were created for mankind to see and appreciate the power and glory of the Great Creator. Their existence points to His existence.
For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse. (Romans 1:20)

A third primary purpose of the stars, along with the sun and moon, is for signs and for seasons and for days and years.
Then God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night, and let them be for signs and for seasons and for days and years; and let them be for lights in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth”; and it was so. God made the two great lights, the greater light to govern the day, and the lesser light to govern the night; He made the stars also. (Genesis 1:14-16)

The total amount of energy of all these 200 sextillion stars and 2 trillion galaxies is incomprehensible to humans. The power of the Creator is far beyond man’s imagination. A Creator whose marvelous works include these stupendous feats of creating, numbering, and naming an unfathomable quantity of gigantic blazing stars merits our continual awe, worship, and enthusiastic praise!

Questions to Ponder

1. What aspect of God’s creative work in making, numbering, and naming the stars is most awe-inspiring to you?
2. Since all the stars have already been named (Isaiah 40:26; Psalm 147:4-5), what do you think about commercial offerings to “name a star” after someone?

Share your thoughts on these questions in the comments below. It could encourage or help another reader.

For Christ and His Kingdom.
Alere Flammam Veritatis.
Soli Deo Gloria.

This is the 20th article in the Why? Series of articles that suggest answers to Why? questions.
Read the prequels in the series:
1. Why Is the Age of the Earth Important?
2. Why Apologetics?
3. Why Do Atheists Care?
4. Why Did Adam Sin?
5. Why Should Adam’s Sin Affect Me?
6. Why Do Leaves Change Color?
7. Why Do I Write the Bible-Science Guy Blog?
8. Why Is Ice Slippery?
9. Why Does Salt Melt Ice?
10. Why the Virus?
11. Why Is Christmas December 25?
12. Why the Week?
13. Why Do Clocks Run Clockwise?
14. Why Light?
15. Why Water?
16. Why Oxygen?
17. Why Carbon?
18. Why Nitrogen?
19. Why Leap Year?

Read the sequel:
21. Why Believe?

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©William T. Pelletier, Ph.D.
“contending earnestly for the faith”
“destroying speculations against the knowledge of God”
“for the defense of the gospel”
(Jude 1:3; 2 Cor 10:5; Phil 1:16)
Wednesday, March 13, 2024 A.D.

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. (Genesis 1:1)

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