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1.
The
Milky Way as The Major Part of Orvonton
2. Orvonton as Much Larger Than The Milky Way Galaxy
3. Use of The Term “Nebulae”
4. Conclusions
NO MATTER
how many times I’ve read the cosmology and astronomy information in
Papers 15 and 41, I have never been able to form a consistent
picture of the size and structure of Orvonton, our superuniverse. I
suspect that I’m not alone in this. Other Urantians have deduced
from the same information that Orvonton may be as small as the Milky
Way galaxy, or as large as thousands of galaxies.
After many years of consideration, I’ve
decided that the book presents not one, but two or more different
pictures of Orvonton. The following sections are my attempt to tease
apart the different pictures. One concept the authors support is
that our galaxy, the Milky Way galaxy, is the core of Orvonton,
probably the major portion of it. But there is other information in
Papers 15 and 41 from which we can conclude that Orvonton is much
larger than this. My comments follow each quote.
1. The Milky Way as The Major Part of Orvonton
15:3.1 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.
This statement intimates that there may
be few things we can see with the naked eye that do not belong to
Orvonton. According to sources found on the Internet, with the
naked eye we can see galaxies M31 (Andromeda), M33, M81 and M83
outside of our Milky Way galaxy. These galaxies are from 2.4
million to about 15 million light years from us. The above statement
from the book may imply that these galaxies are not part of Orvonton.
If so, this would imply that Orvonton is less than 5 million light
years in diameter, and that the Milky Way galaxy is the major part
of Orvonton.
15:3.1 The vast Milky Way starry
system represents the central nucleus of Orvonton, being largely
beyond the borders of your local universe.
The term “central nucleus” implies
here that Orvonton is more than the Milky Way Galaxy, but the
authors don’t give us a clue here about how much bigger Orvonton is
than our galaxy. One possibility is that Orvonton consists of the
Milky Way Galaxy plus its satellite galaxies, such as the Large and
Small Magellanic Clouds, hereafter referred to as the Milky Way
galactic system.
15:3.1 This great aggregation of
suns, dark islands of space, double stars, globular clusters, star
clouds, spiral and other nebulae, together with myriads of
individual planets, forms a watchlike, elongated-circular grouping
of about one seventh of the inhabited evolutionary universes.
“Watch like elongated-circular” does
not accurately describe our galaxy. It has a central bulge
surrounded by a thin disc, sort of like two fried eggs
back-to-back. However, if Andromeda is included, then the envelope
of Orvonton could be elliptical and watch-like. The term “nebulae”
could refer to either planetary nebulae within the Milky Way galaxy
or to the small external galaxies closely associated with the Milky
Way galaxy such as the Magellanic Clouds.
15:3.2 From the astronomical
position of Urantia, as you look through the cross section of
near-by systems to the great Milky Way, you observe that the spheres
of Orvonton are traveling in a vast elongated plane, the breadth
being far greater than the thickness and the length far greater than
the breadth.
The authors are saying that this is how
our galaxy appears from our position inside of it. This sentence
seems to equate the Milky Way galaxy with Orvonton. If the Small and
Large Magellanic clouds were included, then some of the stars of
Orvonton would not be traveling in the plane of the Milky Way since
these small galaxies are below the plane of the Milky Way galaxy
from our perspective.
And if our closest neighbor galaxy, the M31, the Andromeda galaxy, were part
of Orvonton, it would not be traveling in the plane of the Milky Way
either.
15:3.3 Observation of the so-called
Milky Way discloses the comparative increase in Orvonton stellar
density when the heavens are viewed in one direction, while on
either side the density diminishes; the number of stars and other
spheres decreases away from the chief plane of our material
superuniverse.
This is what we see as we look towards
and then away from the luminous strip of light in the night sky
known as the Milky Way, which is the densest part of our galaxy. One
inference we can derive from this sentence is that the Milky Way
galaxy is Orvonton.
15:4.8 The globular type of star
clusters predominates near the outer margins of Orvonton.
This intimates that the Milky Way
galaxy and possibly its satellites constitute Orvonton. Globular
clusters form a spherical shell around our galaxy; most are found
above and below the center bulge of our galaxy and other similar
galaxies. They are always associated with individual galaxies and
are not found at the outer margins of clusters of galaxies. This
again reinforces the idea that the Milky Way galaxy is Orvonton.
32:2.11 From Jerusem, the
headquarters of Satania, it is over two hundred thousand light-years
to the physical center of the superuniverse of Orvonton, far, far
away in the dense diameter of the Milky Way. Satania is on the
periphery of the local universe, and Nebadon is now well out towards
the edge 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.
The
current estimate of the size of the Milky Way galaxy is about
100,000 light years in diameter but it is surrounded by a 200,000
light year diameter spherical shell of globular clusters and
individual stars. Even if we use the 200,000 light year figure for
Orvonton, the center of Orvonton using the distance cited by the
authors would be outside the opposite edge of our galaxy. Also, if
the radius of Orvonton is 250,000 light years as indicated, then
Orvonton could not include any other major galaxies, even Andromeda,
the closest large galaxy, which is over 2 million light years from
us. However, Orvonton as pictured could include the Magellanic
Clouds and some of the other small satellite galaxies. Thus the
referenced section above appears to indicate that Orvonton is the
Milky Way galactic system.
19:2.2 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.
This paragraph is one of the places
where the authors use the terms “nebulae” and “physical universes”
to refer to galaxies. It’s true that we can only see the Andromeda
galaxy and perhaps two or three others under very dark skies without
a telescope. The authors thus indicate that these 3 or 4 galaxies
are not in Orvonton, indicating again that Orvonton consists mostly
of the Milky Way galaxy.
2. Orvonton as Much Larger Than The Milky Way
Galaxy
19:2.2 Most of the starry realms
visually exposed to the search of your present-day telescopes are in
Orvonton, but with photographic technique the larger telescopes
penetrate far beyond the borders of the grand universe into the
domains of outer space, where untold universes are in process of
organization. And there are yet other millions of universes beyond
the range of your present instruments.
The telescopes of the 1930’s could see
numerous galaxies. If as the authors say, “Most of the starry realms visually exposed to the
search of your present-day telescopes are in Orvonton,” this would
indicate that Orvonton contains many galaxies. Notice that this
seems to directly contradict the preceding part of this section.
19:2.3 At the same time these more
powerful telescopes will disclose that many island universes
formerly believed to be in outer space are really a part of the
galactic system of Orvonton. The seven superuniverses are still
growing; the periphery of each is gradually expanding; new nebulae
are constantly being stabilized and organized; and some of the
nebulae which Urantian astronomers regard as extragalactic are
actually on the fringe of Orvonton and are traveling along with us.
"Island universes" was an early term for
galaxies. The first sentence clearly states that Orvonton is a
“galactic system” composed of many galaxies. If “nebulae” in the
last sentence is replaced by “galaxies,” the concept of an Orvonton
composed of many galaxies is strongly reinforced.
15:3.4 Of the ten major divisions of
Orvonton, eight have been roughly identified by Urantian
astronomers. The other two are difficult of separate recognition
because you are obliged to view these phenomena from the inside. 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.
Astronomers have been able to map much
of our galaxy even though obviously they have to do it from inside;
there are not eight recognizable divisions of the Milky Way galaxy.
Our galaxy does have four spiral arms, but these could hardly fill
the bill as major sectors.
What
are recognizable as separate entities are galaxies, clusters of
galaxies and even superclusters of as many as a thousand galaxies.
We could reasonably conclude that a major sector of Orvonton is
either a galaxy, or a cluster of galaxies. This would mean that
Orvonton is immense compared to our galaxy. However, notice the use
of “galaxy” in the last sentence. Perhaps the authors mistakenly
used “galaxy” instead of superuniverse.
15:3.5 The rotational center of your
minor sector is situated far away in the enormous and dense star
cloud of Sagittarius, around which your local universe and its
associated creations all move, and from opposite sides of the vast
Sagittarius subgalactic system you may observe two great streams of
star clouds emerging in stupendous stellar coils.
We are looking toward the center of our
galaxy when we look toward the constellation Sagittarius. The “two
great streams of star clouds emerging in stupendous stellar coils”
apparently refer to two of the arms of our galaxy, which radiate
from the center bulge of our galaxy. The preceding sentence implies
to me that our Milky Way Galaxy is a minor sector, but the term
”subgalactic system” contradicts this. It’s
difficult to understand why the authors would have two such
contradictory ideas in one sentence.
15:4.7 Not all spiral nebulae are
engaged in sun making. Some have retained control of many of their
segregated stellar offspring, and their spiral appearance is
occasioned by the fact that their suns pass out of the nebular arm
in close formation but return by diverse routes, thus making it easy
to observe them at one point but more difficult to see them when
widely scattered on their different returning routes farther out and
away from the arm of the nebula. There are not many sun-forming
nebulae active in Orvonton at the present time, though Andromeda,
which is outside the inhabited superuniverse, is very active. This
far-distant nebula is visible to the naked eye, and when you view
it, pause to consider that the light you behold left those distant
suns almost one million years ago.
The first sentence is apparently
referring to galaxies as “spiral nebulae.” This is reinforced by the
reference to the Andromeda galaxy as a “sun-forming nebula.” The
authors idea of stars passing in and out of the galactic arms does
not agree with the most widely accepted scientific explanation.
The
most widely accepted theory of galactic arm formation is the concept
that density waves move around the galaxy and cause large numbers of
stars to be formed in their wake. The stars thus formed outline the
spiral arms of the galaxy. And there are a number of “sun forming
nebulae” in the Milky Way galaxy, but they are variously shaped
clouds of gas and dust, not “spiral nebulae.” Regarding the
distance to the Andromeda galaxy: Astronomers have determined by
several reliable means that the distance to the Andromeda galaxy is
over 2 million light years, so it takes light over two million years
to reach us from this galaxy.
15:4.8 The Milky Way galaxy is
composed of vast numbers of former spiral and other nebulae, and
many still retain their original configuration. But as the result of
internal catastrophes and external attraction, many have suffered
such distortion and rearrangement as to cause these enormous
aggregations to appear as gigantic luminous masses of blazing suns,
like the Magellanic Cloud.
Astronomers have identified the remains
of several smaller galaxies that are being ingested by our galaxy,
so this statement agrees with our current understanding of how the
Milky Way galaxy and others formed.
However, astronomers have not identified any that have retained
their “original configuration” within the Milky Way galactic system.
And there are two Magellanic Clouds rather than one. Both have been
distorted by the gravity of our galaxy. If there are many that have
indeed maintained their original configuration, then they would have
to be galaxies like M31, the Andromeda galaxy. This could imply that
Orvonton is composed of many galaxies.
15:4.9 The vast star clouds of
Orvonton should be regarded as individual aggregations of matter
comparable to the separate nebulae observable in the space regions
external to the Milky Way galaxy.
Since the authors use “nebulae” to
indicate galaxies in Section 1, and since they say the “individual
aggregations of matter” are like the nebulae (galaxies) that are
external to our galaxy, the authors seem to be saying that Orvonton
is composed of many galaxies.
12:1.1 The Seven Superuniverses are
not primary physical organizations; nowhere do their boundaries
divide a nebular family, neither do they cross a local universe, a
prime creative unit. 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.
If by “nebular family” the authors mean
clusters of galaxies, then they may be saying that Orvonton is a
cluster of galaxies. On the other hand, they may regard the Milky
Way galaxy and its small close-by satellite galaxies as a “nebular
family.” It’s odd that the authors say that, “The Seven
Superuniverses are not primary physical organizations,” since they
tell us that the ten major sectors can be readily identified. It
seems to me that the group of ten major sectors constitute a
recognizable “primary physical” organization.
12:6.10 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.
Astronomers
currently estimate that our Milky Way galaxy contains up to 400
billion stars. If a major sector contains about one trillion stars
(one tenth of Orvonton,) then our galaxy is about 40% the size of a
major sector. The Milky Way galaxy and its satellite galaxies plus
the Andromeda galaxy and its satellite galaxies are about the size
of a major sector. This is smaller than the cluster of galaxies
proposed by a few Urantians for Orvonton, but considerably larger
than just our galaxy by itself. In a presentation at the 2002
International Conference, Fred Beckner made the case for Orvonton
consisting of our galaxy, the Andromeda galaxy and their satellite
galaxies.
41:0.2 “While the administrative
organization of the grand universe discloses a clear-cut division
between the governments of the central, super-, and local universes,
and while these divisions are astronomically paralleled in the space
separation of Havona and the seven superuniverses, no such clear
lines of physical demarcation set off the local creations. Even the
major and minor sectors of Orvonton are (to us) clearly
distinguishable, but it is not so easy to identify the physical
boundaries of the local universes.”
This intimates that both the minor and
major sectors are visible as separate entities like galaxies and
clusters of galaxies. This offers some support for the idea that the
Milky Way galaxy is a minor sector.
41:0.4 Such is the constitution of
the local star cloud of Nebadon, which today swings in an
increasingly settled orbit about the Sagittarius center of that
minor sector of Orvonton to which our local creation belongs.
If the “Sagittarius center” is the
center of our galaxy, then this may be another indicator that the
Milky Way galaxy is a minor sector. But this could also mean that
the center of the minor sector is in the direction of the
Sagittarius constellation rather than at the center of the Milky Way
galaxy. This may imply that The Milky Way galaxy is composed of
minor sectors and could be itself a major sector.
41:3.10 Better methods of space
measurement and improved telescopic technique will sometime more
fully disclose the ten grand divisions of the superuniverse of
Orvonton; you will at least recognize eight of these immense sectors
as enormous and fairly symmetrical star clusters.
If we accept that star clusters are
clusters of galaxies, then this lends added support to the idea of
our galaxy as a minor sector. But the authors could also mean that a
star cluster is a galaxy.
3. Use of The Term “Nebulae”
Before Edwin Hubble discovered stars in
the Andromeda galaxy and others, there was a great debate on whether
or not those fuzzy patches of light in the sky were galaxies full of
stars or clouds of gas. The authors of the Urantia Papers seem to
use nebulae to mean both clouds of gas and galaxies. Indeed, there
are clouds of gas within our galaxy, and some of them are visible
because they are illuminated by various forms of radiation. The
sections and comments below explore the various ways the authors
used the term “nebulae.”
12:4.17 But the greatest of all such
distortions arises because the vast universes of outer space in the
realms next to the domains of the seven superuniverses seem to be
revolving in a direction opposite to that of the grand universe.
That is, these myriads of nebulae and their accompanying suns and
spheres are at the present time revolving clockwise about the
central creation.
Nebulae and universes here seem to
refer to galaxies.
15:4.4 Paradise force organizers are
nebulae originators; they are able to initiate about their space
presence the tremendous cyclones of force which, when once started,
can never be stopped or limited until the all-pervading forces are
mobilized for the eventual appearance of the ultimatonic units of
universe matter. Thus are brought into being the spiral and other
nebulae, the mother wheels of the direct-origin suns and their
varied systems.
The term “spiral nebulae” indicates to
me that the authors are referring to galaxies.
15:4.4 In outer space there may be
seen ten different forms of nebulae, phases of primary universe
evolution, and these vast energy wheels had the same origin as did
those in the seven superuniverses.
In this sentence, nebulae obviously
refers to galaxies and the many forms they take. Hubble identified
ten types of galaxies (nebulae) in his 1936 book, Realm of the
Nebulae.
15:4.6 Nebulae are not directly
related to any of the administrative units, such as minor sectors or
local universes...
In this case, it’s difficult to say
whether “nebulae” refers to subsystems within galaxies or to
galaxies themselves. This sentence could be interpreted as saying
that our nebula (galaxy) is not a minor sector.
41:8.3 In large suns--small circular
nebulae--when hydrogen is exhausted and gravity contraction ensues,
if such a body is not sufficiently opaque to retain the internal
pressure of support for the outer gas regions, then a sudden
collapse occurs.
This is the only case I can find in the
book where nebulae refers to a sun.
41:8.4 As a rule, the vast
extrusion of matter continues to exist about the residual cooling
sun as extensive clouds of nebular gases. And all this explains the
origin of many types of irregular nebulae, such as the Crab nebula,
which had its origin about nine hundred years ago, and which still
exhibits the mother sphere as a lone star near the center of this
irregular nebular mass.
The Crab nebula appears to have had its
origin as the result of a supernova of its central star, which is
now a neutron star. In this case “nebula” refers to a cloud of gas
within our galaxy, rather than a galaxy.
57:3.1 The enormous nebula now began
gradually to assume the spiral form and to become clearly visible to
the astronomers of even distant universes. This is the natural
history of most nebulae; before they begin to throw off suns and
start upon the work of universe building, these secondary space
nebulae are usually observed as spiral phenomena.
The term “nebula” in this paragraph
apparently refers to those giant gas and dust clouds that supply the
material to form galaxies. All the spiral galaxies our astronomers
can see are visible because they have stars. It doesn’t seem
possible to see clouds of gas and dust without something to
illuminate them, such as material spewed from supernovas or
ultraviolet light from giant blue stars. However, such clouds of gas
can be “seen” in infrared light with special sensors on a telescope.
4. CONCLUSIONS
I think the preceding analysis
demonstrates that there are at least two pictures of Orvonton
contained in The Urantia Book. Which one is correct, and why are
there two or even more? We can only speculate about this. Perhaps
the Milky Way is a minor sector, but because of the constraints
against revealing unearned information, the revelators could not
present the exact picture of the seven superuniverses. But they
could and did present some hints with the big Orvonton picture
intermixed with the small Orvonton picture.
At the 2005 International Conference,
reader John Causland presented a slide of a possible big picture
universe. This slide showed a number of superclusters of galaxies
that appear to be arranged around a feature called “the Great
Attractor.”
The Great Attractor is a region of massive gravitational attraction
that we can’t see because it lies on the other side of our galaxy. It seems to be
controlling the large superclusters around it. Because of its
position, we cannot see what it contains. Could it be the center of
the Master Universe? Could the superclusters be superuniverses? John
pointed out that the supercluster of which we’re a part (called the
Local Supercluster, centered on the Virgo cluster of galaxies)
consists of about 1000 galaxies.
Since there are 100 minor sectors in a
major sector and ten major sectors in a superuniverse, there are
1000 minor sectors in a superuniverse. Could the 1000 galaxies be
minor sectors? No one can say for sure, but I think it’s at least as
good a theory as anyone else has put forward.
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