The size of the Observable Universe.
The observable universe is estimated to be 93 billion light-years across. The observable sphere limits what scientists can see but not what is there. https://www.discovermagazine.com/the-sciences/how-big-is-the-observable-universe
The Size of the Unobservable Universe…
“Observations from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey and the Planck satellite are where we get the best data. They tell us that if the Universe does curve back in on itself and close, the part we can see is so indistinguishable from “uncurved” that it must be at least 250 times the radius of the observable part.
This means the unobservable Universe, assuming there’s no topological weirdness, must be at least 23 trillion light years in diameter, and contain a volume of space that’s over 15 million times as large as the volume we can observe. If we’re willing to speculate, however, we can argue quite compellingly that the unobservable Universe should be significantly even bigger than that. The unobservable Universe, assuming there’s no topological weirdness, must be at least 23 trillion light years in diameter, and contain a volume of space that’s over 15 million times as large as the volume we can observe.” https://www.forbes.com/sites/startswithabang/2018/07/14/ask-ethan-how-large-is-the-entire-unobservable-universe/
Voyager 1, launched in 1977, has become humanity’s furthest-traveling spacecraft, now drifting silently through interstellar space. It has crossed the heliopause (marking the transition between the solar wind from the Sun and the interstellar medium, where solar influence ends and interstellar space begins), and will soon reach a distance of one light-day from Earth—a milestone that underscores the vastness of the universe.
In November 2026, Voyager 1 will become the first man-made spacecraft to travel to a mark that is one light-day from Earth. https://www.wionews.com/science/voyager-1-at-one-light-day-spacecraft-to-hit-astonishing-milestone-after-49-years-1752561939383
Light travels 25.9 billion kilometers in a full day – multiplying the speed of light by the 86,400 seconds in a day. The average distance between Earth and the Moon is 384,400 kilometers. Therefore, you may fit 33,500 round trips to the moon into a light-day!
The speed of light = 299,792,458 meters / second, rounded as 300,000 km/s or 186,000 miles per second. (The speed of light is the rate at which light travels in a vacuum at a constant value of exactly 299,792,458 meters per second.)
A light-day is an enormous distance. It’s a testament to the immense size of the universe we live in. By using this unit of measurement, scientists and astronomers can make sense of the vast distances between stars and galaxies.
The nearest star to Earth other than the Sun, Proxima Centauri, is about 4.24 light-years away. This means that the light we see from Proxima Centauri today actually left the star over four years ago! When we gaze at the stars, remember the incredible journey that light makes to reach your eyes. Each twinkle is a message from the distant past, traveling billions of kilometers through space.
- Voyager 1 represents the apogee of human engineering and curiosity at that time, yet even its journey – spanning billions of kilometers—is a mere breathe compared to the scale described in Isaiah. https://www.snexplores.org/article/voyagers-biggest-discoveries-nasa-space
- Our Infinite and Awesome God.
- The merisms in Isaiah 40:12 used by God in His Word, resonated clearly creation imagery.
- “Who hath measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, and meted out heaven with the span, and comprehended the dust of the earth in a measure, and weighed the mountains in scales, and the hills in a balance?” Isaiah 40:12
- Isaiah 40:12 evokes a divine presence so vast that the oceans fit in His palm and the heavens are measured with His hand. It’s a humbling reminder that even our great achievements, like Voyager 1, are dwarfed by the grandeur of creation.
- Spiritual Insight: Voyager’s voyage is a testament to human ambition, but Isaiah 40:12 invites us to contemplate the source of all space and time. As Voyager fades into the cosmic silence in due time, it echoes the verse’s awe: that the universe is not just vast—it’s held, measured, and known by God.
- “But will God indeed dwell on the earth? behold, the heaven and heaven of heavens cannot contain thee; how much less this house that I have builded?” 1 Kings 8:27
- “Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; and his greatness is unsearchable.” Psalm 145:3
The question, ‘who hath measured,’ is designed to imply that the thing referred to here was that which had never been done, and could never be done by man; and the argument is, that although the work surpassed human power, yet it could be done by God the infinite Being who had measured the waters in the hollow of His hand. The word ‘waters’ here refers evidently to the vast collection of waters in the deep – the mighty oceans, together with all the waters in the running streams, and in the clouds. This vast confluence of water is no more in His hands than so much water as a man can hold in the hollow of his hand, in his fist, or hand contracted: The idea is, that God can take up the vast oceans, and all the waters in the lakes, streams, and clouds, in the palm of His hand, as we take up the smallest quantity in ours.
“..and meted out heaven with the span.”
The idea is, that God was able to compass or grasp the heavens, though so vast, as one can compass or measure a small object with the span. The span of a hand is the width of a human hand, from the tip of the thumb to the tip of the little finger. The anthropomorphism is strong here – it helps in understanding, the interpreting of it through the human lens. What an illustration of the immensity, incalculability and illimitable nature of God! For our finite human comprehension God is here likened to a monumental giant, that he can take up and hold all the waters of the sea and rivers of the whole world in one hand, and measure the colossal width of the heavens with a span.
The aforesaid text emotional resonance is meant to leave humans speechless before Divine majesty – God’s unrivaled power as Creator. God uses anthropomorphic imagery – God’s actions are described with human like gestures (“hollow of His hand”, “span”), underlining His unfathomable power and sovereignty. Creation and the precision of the Universe is God’s handiwork as the Cosmic Architect, never a cosmic accident.
Christ Jesus as Creator and Sustainer. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.” John 1:1-3
“For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:” Colossians 1:16
“Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high:” Hebrews 1:3
Creation testifies to the infinite All-Powerful Creator and is most worthy of His Creation’s compelling reverence.
Aug 3, 2025
Dr. Cheong Kok Weng