MM SHORTS: 15 of 16 “One Septillion”

“ONE SEPTILLION”

MM Shorts (15th of 16)

Psalm 147:4  -  Jeremiah 1:5  -  Luke 12:7

EPISODE DESCRIPTION

This is episode is #15 of 16 in the Mighty Moment series "Mighty Moment Shorts" and is entitled “One Septillion”. Have you ever gazed up at the night sky and wondered just how many stars are out there? This episode dives into the unfathomable numbers that define our observable universe, from thousands visible to the naked eye to mind-bending septillions calculated by astronomers. Prepare to have your sense of scale challenged as we put these cosmic figures into perspective with everyday comparisons from millions to trillions.

SERIES DESCRIPTION

“Mighty Moment Shorts” are brief 5-8 minute devotional thoughts.  These 16 episodes were the very first episodes of “Mighty Moment” before the current 14 ½ - minute format.  You will also notice the style is different with music playing in the background.

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EPISODE RESOURCES

Episode Bible Study Guide

[Not Available for this Episode]

Episode Transcript

https://mightymoment.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/MM_01_01_015-One-Septillion-SH-15-of-16-TRANSCRIPT.pdf

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FILE: MM_01_01_015

© Mighty Moment 2021

Chapters

• 0:00 -- Mighty Moment Song
• 0:29 -- Announcer Greeting
• 1:07 TITLE: "One Septillion"
• 1:10 Counting Stars
• 1:25 The Observable Universe
• 2:21 Huge Question
• 2:46 One Septillion
• 3:13 Numerical Context
• 4:45 Why Is This Important?
• 4:54 God Knows
• 5:52 Our God is Bigger
• 6:52 -- Announcer Close
• 7:21 -- Mighty Moment Song

Transcript

“ONE SEPTILLION”

#15 of 16

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“Mighty Moment Shorts”

Podcast Series

Episode #15 of 16

A “Mighty Moment” Podcast Series

by

Dr. Bobby J. Boles

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OFFICIAL PODCAST TRANSCRIPT

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TITLE: “ONE SEPTILLION” (1:07)

COUNTING STARS (1:10)

One, septillion. How many stars are there? Have you ever tried to count them? As a kid, I would love to lay on my back out in our yard and try to count the stars. Of course it's not an easy task, and if you lose count or lose your place, you have to start over.

THE OBSERVABLE UNIVERSE (1:25)

This question has puzzled humans since the beginning of time. As we look up into the heavens, we are moved by its vastness and incredible immensity. How can we quantify something so large? The question can only be answered by qualifying it by saying this how many stars are there in the observable universe? You see, it's impossible to count, estimate, quantify the unknown and unobservable. So what are the limits of our observable universe? Well, if you had perfect eyesight, if it was a dark night with no moon and in a place without light pollution, it's estimated one could see some 9,000 stars. Using a pair of binoculars, the number jumps to 200,000. With the aid of a small telescope, the number of observable stars increases to 15 million. Using the high-powered telescopes at the major observatories, it is possible to see billions of stars.

HUGE QUESTION (2:21)

The truth is, this is a huge question. So large a number is the number of stars. It would be impossible for a human to live long enough to count them all, assuming one could even see them all With the aid of telescopes in space and high-power computers. The estimated answer of how many stars there are in the observable universe has now been determined to be a mind-boggling number. The number of stars in our observable universe has now been determined to be a mind-boggling number. 

ONE SEPTILLION (2:46)

The number of stars in our observable universe is estimated to be one septillion stars. That sounds huge because it is huge. The truth is without context, though. It's really hard to give meaning to that number. So let's try to put our heads around this huge number. The truth is, one septillion is a number we can't comprehend because we don't even have something close to it that we understand to give it context.

NUMERICAL CONTEXT (3:13)

The largest number we deal with in our real world are the trillions, which is also an incredibly huge number, and the thousands. Well, we have a lot of examples of that the median household income in the United States as of 2021, $79,900. As of July 9, 2021, the current US population 332,505,568. What about examples of billions? Well, it's estimated, as of 2021, that there are over 2 billion active Facebook users. And what about the world's richest person, Jeff Bezos? His estimated worth is $211 billion. For the example of trillions, we have to go to the national debt, which is estimated to be, as of July 9, 2021, $28,503,199,461,977. Examples of quadrillion, quintillion, sextillion, I can't think of any. But the estimated number of stars in the observable universe, scientists now say, is septillion. One septillion, that's a one with 24 zeros following it. 

WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT? (4:45)

Why is all this important? Let's bring this beyond the trivial or even amazing, and bring in a meaning to this ginormous number of stars.

GOD KNOWS (4:54)

The Bible says that God knows the number of stars and even beyond that, He has given each one a name (Psalm 147, verse 4). There is someone who does know the answer to the question of how many stars there are… the Almighty God who created them. He does not need to estimate the number. He's not guessing, He's not limited by sight or limits of observable sight. He knows all of them and the exact number because He made them. Even beyond that is the incredible personalization of His creation that He has given a name to each one. We can only assume that if the estimate is one septillion in our observable universe, the real total number of stars is more… much, much more than that. Our God is awesome and big. He is all-knowing. 

OUR GOD IS BIGGER (5:52)

This same God who is so intimately connected to His creation that He counts and names each star (all of them) is the same God that made and knows you and me. He knew us in the womb (Jeremiah 1:5). He knows the number of hairs that should be on our head (Luke 12:7). The Almighty God has endless capacity and He has endeared Himself to you and to me. We can believe in Him, we can trust in Him, we can depend on Him, and in all things He is able. So if doubts ever enter your mind if God is able to handle your problems, look up at the stars and you have well over one septillion reasons to be assured He is able. Our God is bigger than our problems.