NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft was launched January 19, 2006. On July 14, 2015, it passed Pluto and its moons. Pluto is 31.94 Astronomical Units (AU) from Earth. One AU is the average distance between the Sun and Earth, about 93 million miles or 149.6 million kilometers. “At its most distant, when the Earth and Pluto are on the opposite sides of the sun from one another, Pluto lies 4.67 billion miles (7.5 billion kilometers) from Earth. At their closest, the two are only 2.66 billion miles (4.28 billion km) apart.” These numbers are phenomenal numbers, beyond what my mind can wrap around. But they are real numbers and what scientists have calculated with their knowledge and understanding.

Pluto has five known moons. Charon is in the photograph with Pluto above.

All of these planets orbit around the sun. This is the solar system we call “ours.”

How much more has God created beyond Pluto?

Man created a spacecraft that took 9 and a half years to get to its destination, arrived, took photos, sent radio signals back to Earth, and now continues outward into space.

God knows what is out there. Man is learning some of God’s creation beyond our corner of this world.

How precious to me are your thoughts, O God!
How vast is the sum of them!
Psalm 139:17

Behold, to the LORD your God belong heaven and the heaven of heavens, the earth with all that is in it. Deuteronomy 10:14

“But will God indeed dwell on the earth? Behold, heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain you; how much less this house that I have built!” 1 Kings 8:27

שָׁמַיִם

shamayim

from an unused root meaning to be lofty

the spaces of heaven, however vast and infinite

Heaven, heavens, sky

as the abode of God

alluding to the visible arch in which the clouds move, as well as the higher ether where the celestial bodies revolve

Jehovah is called the God of heaven

“Thus says Cyrus king of Persia, ‘The LORD, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth, and He has charged me to build Him a house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Whoever is among you of all His people, may the LORD his God be with him. Let him go up.’” 2 Chronicles 36:23

Give thanks to the God of heaven,
for His steadfast love endures forever. Psalm 136:26

Father God, God of the heavens, You created it all and know every star, planet, and all that is out in what we call “outer space.” You know that there is nothing too great or small for You because it has all been formed by Your very hands. How amazing You are, Father! ‘Vast’ seems like too small of a word to describe all that You have made and all Who You are. Father, thank You for loving us, these tiny creatures compared to what we are able to see through the ingenuity, intellect, and inventiveness that You have given to man. Yet, I know that there is so very much more. Thank You, Loving God of the heavens, for being willing to adopt me into Your family, forgiving me for my sinfulness, guiding me through the way that You have chosen for me. I pray with gratitude and amazement to You through Your Son. Amen.

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Hubble Space Telescope – views into God’s creation –

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/hubble/main/index.html

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New Horizons –

http://pluto.jhuapl.edu/index.php

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Photo 1: NASA/JPL – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charon_%28moon%29#/media/File:Pluto_charon_150709_color_final.png

Photo 2: NASA – http://www.vtaide.com/png/solar-system.htm

Photo 3: Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory/Southwest Research Institute (JHUAPL/SwRI) http://eyes.jpl.nasa.gov/eyes-on-pluto.html

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