Hi Nigel,
Your investigations are of the greatest interest, and I particularly enjoyed your outstanding presentation last week at the Science Symposium. For those who may be unaware, a video of Nigel’s presentation is available at http://www.ustream.tv/channel/XhtGPaUe4mh. You take us on an extraordinary journey into a whole new realm of physics.
More along the lines of the original topic of how the Milky Way is related to Orvonton, there are facts and relationships given in the Book which can be shown to firmly establish Orvonton as the Local Group of galaxies.
What is the size of Orvonton? Before determining the size of our superuniverse, we need to determine its center. We are told the Milky Way starry system is the central nucleus of Orvonton.
“The vast Milky Way starry system represents the central nucleus of Orvonton…” (15:3.1)
The sun is located 26,000 light-years (ly) from the center of the Milky Way galaxy, so we appear to be relatively near the center of Orvonton.
“From Jerusem, the headquarters of Satania, it is over two hundred thousand light-years to the physical center of the superuniverse of Orvonton…. From the outermost system of inhabited worlds to the center of the superuniverse is a trifle less than two hundred and fifty thousand light-years.” (32:2.11)
“The whirl of the ten major sectors, the so-called star drifts, about the Uversa headquarters of Orvonton.” (15:3.13)
The Milky Way galaxy is 50,000 ly in radius. The location of Uversa, the center of Orvonton’s revolution, is between 200,000 and 250,000 ly away. It would appear that the authors are implying a region around our galaxy when they say the “vast Milky Way starry system represents the central nucleus of Orvonton.”
But another possibility is that the Milky Way is at the physical center of Orvonton and Uversa is at the spiritual center. The spiritual center of gravity in the master universe is on upper Paradise and is separated from the material center of absolute gravity on nether Paradise. The architectural sphere of Edentia is separated from the ten Supreme Power Centers for Norlatiadek, who are stationed on an “enormous stellar system at the physical core of the constellation.” (41:1.4) Similarly, the Supreme Power Center for Satania is not located on Jerusem but on “a dark island of space located at the astronomic center of the system.” (41:1.5)
It is not entirely clear whether the center of gravitational revolution is 26,000 or 200,000 ly distant. But if Orvonton has a radius that is much greater than 200,000 ly, this uncertainty does not significantly effect a determination of its size.
- Naked-Eye Limit on the Size of Orvonton
“Practically all of the starry realms visible to the naked eye on Urantia belong to the seventh section of the grand universe, the superuniverse of Orvonton.” (15:3.1)
“Although the unaided human eye can see only two or three nebulae outside the borders of the superuniverse of Orvonton, your telescopes literally reveal millions upon millions of these physical universes in process of formation.” (12:2.2)
Orvonton is essentially everything we can see with the naked eye, except for “two or three nebulae outside of the borders of the superuniverse of Orvonton.” This is a very specific limitation to the size of our superuniverse. The apparent magnitude or brightness of celestial objects can be objectively measured. The number for apparent magnitude increases as the object becomes dimmer. The sun is the brightest object with a magnitude of -26.7. The brightest star is Sirius with a magnitude of -1.46. The Andromeda galaxy has a magnitude of +4.36. Under perfect viewing conditions, the dimmest objects observable with the naked eye have magnitudes somewhere between +7.6 and +8.5. [1] [2] Knowing the naked-eye limiting magnitude is +8.5, we can query NASA’s Extragalactic Database for all galaxies with a magnitude of less than +9.
| All Galaxies in NED with Apparent Magnitudes of less than +9 |
|
Local Group Galaxies |
App Mag |
Mly |
Observed |
| 1 |
Large Magellanic Cloud |
0.90 |
0.16 |
Yes |
| 2 |
Small Magellanic Cloud |
2.70 |
0.20 |
Yes |
| 3 |
Andromeda Galaxy (Messier 31) |
4.36 |
2.55 |
Yes |
| 4 |
Sagittarius Dwarf Spheroidal Galaxy |
4.50 |
0.09 |
Yes |
| 5 |
Triangulum Galaxy (Messier 33) |
6.27 |
2.87 |
Yes |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Galaxies Outside Local Group |
App Mag |
Mly |
Observed |
| 6 |
Sculptor Galaxy (NGC 253) |
7.09 |
10.56 |
Yes |
| 7 |
Centaurus A Galaxy (NGC 5128) |
7.84 |
12.35 |
Yes |
| 8 |
Bode’s Galaxy (Messier 81) |
7.89 |
12.08 |
Yes |
| 9 |
NGC 2403 |
8.11 |
11.37 |
no |
| 10 |
Southern Pinwheel Galaxy (Messier 83) |
8.20 |
21.31 |
Yes* |
| 11 |
Fireworks Galaxy (NGC 6946) |
8.23 |
18.32 |
no |
| 12 |
Pinwheel Galaxy (Messier 101) |
8.31 |
23.07 |
Yes* |
| 13 |
Messier 106 |
8.41 |
24.13 |
no |
| 14 |
Sculptor Dwarf Elliptical |
8.60 |
0.27 |
no |
| 15 |
NGC 55 |
8.84 |
6.32 |
no |
| 16 |
NGC 205 (Messier 110) |
8.92 |
2.69 |
no |
| 17 |
NGC 300 |
8.95 |
6.39 |
no |
| 18 |
Whirlpool Galaxy (Messier 51a) |
8.96 |
26.00 |
no |
| 19 |
Sombrero Galaxy (Messier 104) |
8.98 |
36.29 |
no |
| 20 |
Messier 94 |
8.99 |
16.49 |
no |
|
* just a few reports |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
There are just three galaxies beyond the Local Group which have been commonly reported as observed and they all have magnitudes of less than +8: the Sculptor galaxy, the Centaurus A galaxy, and Bode’s galaxy. These are 10.5-12.4 million light-years (Mly) distant. This is consistent with the statement that “the unaided human eye can see only two or three nebulae [i.e. galaxies] outside the borders of the superuniverse of Orvonton.” There have been isolated reports that M83 and M101 have been observed, which have magnitudes slightly above +8. It appears that under ideal viewing conditions, the limiting magnitude of +8 applies for people with normal vision. But whether or not M83 and M101 are considered commonly visible to the naked eye, we can definitely conclude that there are at least five galaxies in the superuniverse of Orvonton – the Magellanic Clouds, the Andromeda Galaxy, the Sagittarius Dwarf Spheroidal Galaxy, and the Triangulum Galaxy. We can also conclude that the radius of Orvonton is not less than 2.9 Mly, the distance to the Triangulum galaxy.
- Gravitational Limit on the Size of Orvonton
Orvonton contains at least five galaxies and is at least 2.9 Mly in radius. Orvonton cannot include the five observable galaxies beyond Triangulum, because these galaxies do not travel along with Orvonton.
“…some of the nebulae [i.e. galaxies] which Urantian astronomers regard as extragalactic are actually on the fringe of Orvonton and are traveling along with us.” (12:2.3)
“The whirl of the ten major sectors, the so-called star drifts, about the Uversa headquarters of Orvonton.” (15:3.13)
The galaxies in Orvonton move together as a unit, because they are bound together by linear gravity. They must travel together, because they are in gravitational revolution about the center of Orvonton. The ten major sectors whirl about the center of Orvonton. This gravitational dynamic limits the size of Orvonton to the Local Group, which has a radius of 4 Mly. [3] It is an established fact that the galaxies outside the 4 Mly radius of the Local Group move independently of it, because they are not gravitationally bound to it.
- Scale Inter-Dependencies
“If you could look upon the superuniverse of Orvonton from a position far-distant in space, you would immediately recognize the ten major sectors of the seventh galaxy.” (15:3.4)
“The vast star clouds of Orvonton should be regarded as individual aggregations of matter comparable to the separate nebulae [i.e. galaxies] observable in the space regions external to the Milky Way galaxy.” (15:4.9)
From a far-distant position, the ten major sectors of Orvonton are immediately recognizable as “vast star clouds” comparable to galaxies. It is clearly implied that the Milky Way galaxy is a major sector, since it is an individual aggregation of matter comparable to an extragalactic nebulae. This is consistent with the naked-eye visibility of the five brightest galaxies in the Local Group, four of which have been known since antiquity.
“The superuniverse of Orvonton is illuminated and warmed by more than ten trillion blazing suns. These suns are the stars of your observable astronomic system. More than two trillion are too distant and too small ever to be seen from Urantia.” (15:6.10)
There are 10 trillion suns in Orvonton, so the number of stars in a major sector should be one-tenth of this or one trillion suns. According to a 2015 NASA article, the estimated number of stars in the Milky Way is somewhere between 100 and 400 billion stars. [4] However, other studies indicate the Milky Way is about the size of Andromeda, which a 2006 study found has one trillion stars. [5] This wide range is an indication of how tenuous such estimates are. Nevertheless, the Milky Way has far too many stars to be a minor sector. There are 100 minor sectors in a major sector, so each minor sector should contain 10 billion stars (1/100th of a trillion). This number of stars in a minor sector is justified by the common “mass materialization” shared by all local universes.
“The energy charge of a local universe is approximately one one-hundred-thousandth of the force endowment of its superuniverse. In the case of Nebadon, your local universe, the mass materialization is a trifle less. Physically speaking, Nebadon possesses all of the physical endowment of energy and matter that may be found in any of the Orvonton local creations.” (32:1.4)
If the Milky Way contains the lowest estimate of 100 billion stars, it still has at least 10 times too many stars to be a minor sector. If the Milky Way has the highest estimate of a trillion stars, like Andromeda, it has far too few stars to be a superuniverse, which contains 10 trillion stars. The only organizational scale it is consistent with is that of a major sector. We are told that we are located in the major sector of Splandon, which can only be the Milky Way.
The Local Group is made up of more than 50 galaxies which together contain far more than one trillion stars, since there are this many in Andromeda alone. Its form is also inconsistent with that of a major sector, since the ten major sectors of Orvonton are individually recognizable from a distance as separate galaxies. The superuniverse space level contains 70 trillion stars. (7 superuniverses of 10 trillion suns each) The Local Group has too few stars to be the superuniverse space level. Its scale is only compatible with that of our superuniverse of Orvonton.
“Each superuniverse is simply a geographic space clustering of approximately one seventh of the organized and partially inhabited post-Havona creation, and each is about equal in the number of local universes embraced and in the space encompassed.” (12:1.12)
The evidence so far supports the conclusion that Orvonton is the Local Group. If the Local Group is Orvonton, it must make up one-seventh of the superuniverse space level. It does, in fact, make up one-seventh of the newly observable superuniverse space level, a ring-like structure that contains all seven superuniverses. [6] Seven superuniverses with a radius of 4 Mly just fit into the superuniverse space level, which has a radius of 9 Mly. The Local Group is the only cosmic structure which fits into the superuniverse space level.
Conclusion
There are five strong reasons why Orvonton must be the Local Group:
- The naked-eye limiting magnitude of +8 only allows us to see two or three galaxies beyond the borders of Orvonton. Of the eight galaxies commonly reported as being observed with the naked eye, three are outside the Local Group and five are within it. These five galaxies in the Local Group are within Orvonton.
- The galaxies in Orvonton must all move together as a unit. The Local Group consists of the galaxies gravitationally bound together with the Milky Way. This results in all of them moving together as a unit. Galaxies outside the Local Group are not bound to it and do not move with it.
- The Milky Way galaxy is too large to be a minor sector and too small to be a superuniverse. It is the only cosmic structure with the appropriate scale to be a major sector.
- The Local Group is the only cosmic structure with the appropriate scale to be a superuniverse, since it fits between a major sector containing 1 trillion stars and the superuniverse space level, which contains 70 trillion stars.
- The Local Group actually makes up exactly one-seventh of the newly observable superuniverse space level, conclusively confirming that it is the superuniverse of Orvonton.
Footnotes:
[1] Light Pollution and Astronomy: The Bortle Dark-Sky Scale, John E. Bortle, July 18, 2006, Sky & Telescope
“To the unaided eye the limiting magnitude is 7.6 to 8.0 (with effort)”
http://www.skyandtelescope.com/astronomy-resources/light-pollution-and-astronomy-the-bortle-dark-sky-scale/
[2] Naked Eye Observer’s Guide, Dave Snyder, September 2005, University of Michigan
“The limiting magnitude at suburban locations is typically 3.5, and the limiting magnitude at dark sites is typically 6.5. Experienced observers at very dark sites have reported limiting magnitudes as high as 8.5.”
http://umich.edu/~lowbrows/guide/eye.html
[3] The Local Group of Galaxies, Sidney van der Bergh, August 5, 1999, Astronomy & Astrophysics Review
“The zero-velocity surface, which separates the Local Group from the field that is expanding with the Hubble flow, has a radius R = 1.18 +/- 0.15 Mpc.” 1.18 Mpc = 3.85 Mly
https://arxiv.org/abs/astro-ph/9908050
[4] How Many Stars in the Milky Way? Maggie Massetti, July 22, 2015, Blueshift
“The most common answer seems to be that there are 100 billion stars in the Milky Way on the low-end and 400 billion on the high end. But I’ve seen even higher numbers thrown around.”
http://asd.gsfc.nasa.gov/blueshift/index.php/2015/07/22/how-many-stars-in-the-milky-way/
[5] Andromeda galaxy hosts a trillion stars, Kelly Young, June 6, 2006, New Scientist
“Using about 3000 separate exposures, Pauline Barmby of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics in Cambridge, US, and her team found that the spiral galaxy has about a trillion stars.”
https://www.newscientist.com/article/dn9282-andromeda-galaxy-hosts-a-trillion-stars
[6] Proving Divine Paradise is Responsible for Universe Evolution, George Park, June 2, 2016
http://www.urantia.org/urantia-book/study