The Stars of Heavens vs. Sands on Earth

By:

lim ju boo

C Ed Cert Evolution (June, 2019)

University of Cambridge

C Ed Cert Astronomy (December, 2019)

University of Oxford

How much sand is there on Earth compared to stars in heavens?

This is an eternally perplexing and very difficult question confronting astronomers, scientists, and theologians

This is challenging to this writer who nevertheless shall attempt to answer with God's guidance 

God Revelation to Abraham:

When the angel of the Lord called upon Abraham, he said:

“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; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies” (Genesis 22:17)

Now let’s figure out how amazingly accurate and true was that verse  written in the Bible thousands of years ago

In order to verify the truth of this verse, let's check it out much sand are there in the seashores compared to the myriads of stars in heaven

According to several rough estimates there are about 7.5 x 10^18 grains of sand, or seven quintillion, five hundred quadrillion grain in all the beaches and deserts in the world (1)

.

Others put the estimate as 5.6x10^21 grain (2).

Sand, Sand, Sand Everywhere:

However most of the estimates are confined to sands found on seashores and deserts

This writer feels there are actually far more sands on Earth than on seashores  and deserts They are spread out over the surface of Earth not just on beaches and in the deserts.

They are also found on ocean floors and sea beds, in open fields and rivers and in forests...etc.

Let us be very generous about these figures because we are going to match as many of them as possible against the numbers of stars in heavens.

Suppose we assume the layer of sand from all the beaches, sea and ocean beds, to all the deserts on Earth, down to the plains from the mountains, to the agricultural lands and wastelands,  to the roadsides and beyond to wherever sands are found, no matter how little, but collectively over huge area everywhere, including deep in the soil mixed with mud and clay, and just by the road side or outside the driveway outside every house...etc., etc., were to be spread out evenly over the surface of Earth to a very generous layer between 0.5 – 0.8 metres in depth, then the volume of the sand-covered layer will be the volume of Earth minus the volume of Earth below the sandy layers where the rock-beds are.

Layers Over Earth:

These layers probably contain much more sands collectively, and in various sizes over a much larger surface area and volume than all the sands on all the beaches and deserts.

Let us assume we spread out all the sands to cover the Earth's surface area including the ocean and sea beds and over the mountains and plains up to between  a layer between 0.5 m - 0.8 m deep and determine  their volume and numbers.

Let's do our own calculations instead using first principles to revise all other previous calculations done by others.

In order to do that, we need to know the radius of Earth.

The radius of Earth varies between 6,378 km (6,378,000 metres) at the equator to 6,357 km (6,357,000 metres) at a pole. This means its average radius is 6,367,500 km.

However, when only one radius is acceptable, the preferred value according to the International Astronomical Union (IAU), is the equatorial radius defined as 6,378,000 metres  (3).

Let’s take that accepted officially-recognized value for the radius of Earth

Let us now assume  we spread all the sand covering the Earth's surface area including the ocean and sea beds and over the mountains and plain over the surface of Earth up to a thickness  between 0.5 m - 0.8 m deep. 

The Surface Area (A) of Earth 

This is given by:

A = 4πr^2, where r is the equatorial radius of Earth at  6,378,000 metres 

= 5.112 x 10^14 sq. m

Volume of Earth:

Let us now consider the volume of Earth and the volume of sand over the surface of Earth.

The volume (V1) of the Earth defined by this radius would be V1 = 4/3 πr^3 = 1.086781293 x 10^21 cubic metres.

The radius of Earth defined by the layer below sand 0.5 m thick on the surface would be:

 6377999.5 metres.

Its volume (V2) would be 4/3 π x 6377999.5^3 =

1.086781037 x 10^21 cubic metres.

Volume of Sand: 

Hence volume of sand around the Earth 0.5 m deep = Volume of Earth (V1) - Volume of Earth to rock bed (V2) = 2.56 x 10 ^14 cubic metres.

Volume of Earth less 0.8 m =

1.086780884 x 10^21 cubic metre

Hence volume of sand around the Earth 0.8 m deep = Volume of Earth (V1) - Volume of Earth to rock bed (V3) = 4.09 x 10 ^14 cubic metres

Sizes of Sand:

The sizes of sand varies greatly from place to place, from coarse to very fine grains. However, if we take tens of hundreds of random samplings from different locations and depths and average their size to represent a statistical population of sands around the world, this may work out to be about 0.00947mm3 (9.47^-12 cubic metre).

Hence the quantity of sand 0.5 m deep = 2.56 x 10 ^14 cubic metres / 9.47^-12 cubic metre = 2.7 x 10^25 grains  (27 followed by 24 zeros) or 27 quadrillion (UK) or 27 septillion (US)

For 0.8 m deep, the amount of sand = 4.09 x 10 ^14 cubic metres / 9.47^-12 cubic metre = 4.3 x 10^25 grains (43 followed by 24 zeros) or 43 quadrillion (UK) or 43 septillion (US)

Number of Stars in Heavens (Universe):

Now let us look at the stars. When God brought Abraham outside his tent and said, “Look now toward heaven, and count the stars if you are able to number them” (Genesis 15:5).

 I believe Abraham was only to count a maximum of between 5,000 - 5,500 stars in the very dark, clear and light pollution-free nights over the wilderness and wide expense over  the deserts even thousands of years ago  since the faintest naked-eye stars visible on the darkest night have an apparent magnitudes of about + 6.5. which is the limit of human visual acuity without the aid of a telescope or a pair of binoculars

Never would Abraham have thought the number of stars in heaven were far, far, far more than he could have counted or believed, let alone number of sands on a seashore

Let’s have a look what modern astronomers with their tens of hundreds of powerful land-based and space telescopes have revealed 

For instance,  in our own Milky Way Galaxy itself there were an estimated of between 100 - 400 billion stars (4), (5) and more than 100 billion planets (6), (7). One billion is 10^9

There are at least 2 trillion (2 x 10^12) galaxies in the observable universe (8), (9).

 Assuming the universe is isotropic, the distance to the edge of the observable universe is roughly the same in every direction. That is, the observable universe has a spherical volume (a ball) centered on the observer (10).

These galaxies are numbered in many galaxies being grouped together into clusters, mega-clusters and super clusters. Their numbers are almost uncountable.

There may be much, much more since we can only observe up to radius of 13.7 billion light years up to the limit of an Observable Universe defined by the Hubble Radius.

There may be much, much more beyond this observable radius where light from galaxies beyond has not sufficient time to reach us

Let us safely assume there may be as much as 3 trillion (3 x 10^12) galaxies all in, each harboring no less than 100 billion (10^11) other planets.

Let’s leave all the extra-solar and stellar planets out, and assume we have at least 3 trillion (3 x 10^12) galaxies within an Observable Universe, each galaxy consisting of a minimum of 400 billion (4 x 10^13 stars) which is 1.2 X 10^24 stars

There are many more larger and super galaxies than our own Milky Way Galaxy, and many of them may be 10 times larger as clusters with at least 40,000 billion stars each, the exact numbers we are unsure.

But let us be conservative to the limits of our telescopes up to the edge of the Universe

This means there may be as many as 1.2 x 10^26 stars within the Observable Radius of 13.7 billion light years of this Universe.

Some older estimates put the numbers as 10^21, but we think there are far more than that  when we have better and better and more powerful  space-orbiting telescopes in place constantly surveying the heavens 

How that work out when we have quadrillions and septillions of  grains of sand on Earth to challenge? How does that match, Earth against Heavens? 

We have calculated that  if the Earth's surface is covered with 0.5 m of sand evenly all over, then there are  2.7 x 10^25 grains

This works out that heaven (Universe) has 4.4 times more stars than there are sands on Earth covering the entire surface of Earth 0.5 m thick.

If we add more sands at 4.3 x 10^25 grains to cover up Earth up to 0.8 m,  this works out to be 1.2 X 10^26 / 4.3 x 10^25 = 2.8 times more stars in heaven than in all the sands on the seashores and deserts and elsewhere covering up Earth till 0.8 metres deep.

Lowering Down the Estimates:

Even if we accept a lower value of 2 trillion (2 x 10^12) galaxies in the observable universe (8), (9), and if we assume each would contain an average of 250 billion stars, this would work out as 5 x 10^23 stars in heaven.

We now confine to the number of grains of sand only to the seashores of the world estimated at 7.5 x 10^18 (seven quintillion, five hundred quadrillion)  (1), this will mean the number of stars out number all the sands in all the seashores of the world by 66,666 times which is an awful lot

Hence whichever way we look at it,  the total amount of stars within the Observable Universe will still greatly overwhelm all the  sands found in this the world.

The Revelation of the God of Moses and Abraham:

When God told Abraham to look up at the sky, it was  about the number of stars in heaven first,  before comparing them with the sands of the seashores as second, as given in the later part of the verse (Genesis 22:17)

This is such an amazing revelation both to Abraham who never knew anything about this thousands of years ago, and even to us as scientists and astronomers in this modern era.

Truly, truly this is awesomely amazing even to me.

God's Scientific Truth is truly amazing!

Glory to God to the Highest to the Ends of His Awesome Creation

The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork.

Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge.

There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard.

Their line is gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them hath he set a tabernacle for the sun,

Which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, and rejoiceth as a strong man to run a race.

His going forth is from the end of the heaven, and his circuit unto the ends of it: and there is nothing hid from the heat thereof. (Psalm 19 :1 - 6)

In Gratitude to God to the Highest: 

I pen this article in gratitude to God who has finally led me to the Promised Land of Learning after 40 years wandering in bewilderment and ignorance in Creation. I give my immense tribute to Him as our Creator, in Christ Jesus 


I also thank the Lord for guiding me through this challenging  course in Exploring The Universe till smooth completion without whose steering hands I would not have understood His awe-stunning creation of heaven and earth whose handiwork is far beyond the best human mind to comprehend .


Without His unfailing guiding hands I would never be able to understand

Glory to Him to the highest

(Read my other article on the discovery of yellow balls in the Milky Way Galaxy here):

https://scientificlogic.blogspot.com/search?q=yellow

Thank you 

References:

1. 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

2.  https://www.quickanddirtytips.com/education/math/how-many-grains-of-sand-are-on-earth-s-beaches?page=all

3. Mamajek, E. E; Prsa, A; Torres, G; et al. (2015). "IAU 2015 Resolution B3 on Recommended Nominal Conversion Constants for Selected Solar and Planetary Properties". arXiv:1510.07674 [astro-ph.SR].

4 "Milky Way". BBC. Archived from the original on March 2, 2012.

5  "How Many Stars in the Milky Way?". NASA Blueshift. Archived from the original on January 25, 2016.

6. Cassan, A.; et al. (January 11, 2012). "One or more bound planets per Milky Way star from microlensing observations". Nature. 481 (7380): 167–169. arXiv:1202.0903. Bibcode:2012Natur.481..167C. doi:10.1038/nature10684. PMID 22237108.

7.  Staff (January 2, 2013). "100 Billion Alien Planets Fill Our Milky Way Galaxy: Study". Space.com. Archived from the original on January 3, 2013. Retrieved January 3, 2013.

8. Conselice, Christopher J.; et al. (2016). "The Evolution of Galaxy Number Density at z < 8 and Its Implications". The Astrophysical Journal. 830 (2): 83. arXiv:1607.03909v2. 

Bibcode:2016ApJ...830...83C. doi:10.3847/0004-637X/830/2/83.

9. Fountain, Henry (17 October 2016). "Two Trillion Galaxies, at the Very Least". New York Times. Retrieved 17 October 2016.

10.   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Observable_universe