The universe is fascinating. Even our solar system offers a lot that we can marvel at.

The sun

The sun is the central star of the solar system, into which the earth would fit a million times. The glowing ball in the firmament is a gas giant. The gas is very tightly compressed in the center of the Sun, so that the pressure there is almost a trillion times greater than the atmospheric pressure on Earth. And the temperature inside the sun is also enormous: around 15 million degrees Celsius. The unimaginable pressure and immense temperatures are necessary for the nuclear fusions that release the tremendous energy to work. All of the earth's oil, coal and wood resources would only be able to heat the sun for a fraction of a second. Life on earth would be unthinkable without the constant light and warmth of the sun. From ancient times man has been aware of the paramount importance of the sun and has often worshiped itEzekiel 8:16 ). But that hot ball of fire in the sky is meant to lead to worshiping the one who made the sun: God.

The earth

The earth is a unique planet because there is life on it! In order for this to be possible, countless factors must be met and coordinated. So the earth has to be at the right distance from the sun and also in a circular orbit, otherwise it would get too cold or too hot. Even the correct rate of rotation of the earth and the tilt of the earth's axis are not insignificant factors. The size of the earth is also important: an earth that is too small would not be able to bind the atmosphere due to the low gravitational pull, and an earth twice as large would develop enormous gravitational forces that would be very stressful for living beings. Of course, the atmosphere with the high oxygen content and the enormous water masses are decisive for life. Everything is geared towards that we can live on the blue planet. "And God saw all that he had made, and, behold, it was very good" (Genesis 1:31 ).

The Eight Planets

Our solar system consists of eight major planets. The planets Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars are made of solid rock, the other planets Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune are gaseous. In addition to these planets, there are several dwarf planets, including Pluto. Let's take a closer look at the eight major planets.

Mercury : This planet is closest to the sun. Because it rotates slowly, there are huge temperature differences that cannot be found on any other planet: At night it gets cold to -185 degrees and during the day it is over 400 degrees hot. This is extremely life-threatening. Like actually the whole universe. With one exception: the earth.

Venus : The brightly shining Venus (also known as the Morning Star) is similar to Earth only in size. There is tremendous pressure in its toxic, dense atmosphere; and from the many clouds a constant rain of sulfuric acid falls. The heat reaches 500 degrees, higher than on any other planet. Because of these features, Venus is sometimes referred to as the "planet of hell." And indeed, hell is described in the Bible as a sea "burning with fire and brimstone" ( Revelation 21:8 ). But hell lies outside of the visible creation and cannot be comprehended in all its horror with our horizon of knowledge.

Mars:The surface of Mars is dotted with impact craters and is interesting in many ways: Mars has a huge canyon that is up to 10 kilometers deep and 200 kilometers wide (the Grand Canyon is "only" 1.5 kilometers deep and 28 kilometers wide) . The Martian volcano Olympus Mons reaches a height of 27 kilometers, while Mount Everest looks rather small at 8.8 kilometers. It has often been suggested that there is life on Mars. But no life has yet been found, because God apparently only created the earth as a living space.

Jupiter : Jupiter is the largest planet in our solar system, the earth would fit into it 1300 times. It is heavier than all other planets and their moons combined. Nevertheless, this giant rotates the fastest on its axis. A day on Jupiter lasts just under 10 hours. On heavy Jupiter you would also become heavy yourself - about twice as heavy as on Earth. In this respect, too, it is good that we dwell on earth!

Saturn: The most striking thing about Saturn is its ring system. Although the other gaseous planets also have rings, they are not nearly as pronounced as on Saturn. There are more than 100,000 individual rings with different compositions and shades. Saturn is the least dense of all planets. Therefore, it is the only planet that would float in water. Saturn can still be seen quite well with the naked eye and thus contributes to telling everyone something about the glory of God ( Psalm 19:2 ).

Uranus: Uranus is strongly tilted to one side. This makes the seasons very extreme. Each pole is 42 years in darkness (winter) and 42 years in sunshine (summer). Uranus is the coldest planet in the solar system, with an average temperature of minus 200 degrees. Life there would be more than uncomfortable. Psalm 115:16 says, "The heavens are the heavens of the LORD , but he gave the earth to the sons of men."

Neptune: Neptune is the planet furthest from the sun. It would take an airplane 500 years to reach it. Huge storms prevail on Neptune, with peak values ​​of up to 2100 kilometers per hour. Since there is less and less energy to drive winds as the distance from the Sun increases, this storm phenomenon has puzzled scientists. We just don't know everything yet. On the contrary: we don't know most of it yet.

The moons

With the exception of Mercury and Venus, the planets in our solar system have moons. There are even 64 of these natural satellites orbiting Jupiter. Jupiter's moon Ganymede is the largest of the moons, larger than the planet Mercury. The moon of the earth is partly responsible for the ebb and flow. A smaller moon could no longer cause these beneficial tides on Earth. A moon twice as large, on the other hand, would increase the effect of the tides eightfold and trigger devastating floods. The moon was also created according to a wise plan and correctly positioned. Of course, it is also unsuitable as a habitat for humans. The lunar day is very long at 28 earth days, and no one can withstand the temperature fluctuations between night and day without protection. And with an average of minus 55 degrees, it's lousy cold. With a lot of technology, people can move around there for a shorter time, but that's about it. We'd rather stay on earth...

Gerrid Setzer