Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6
Part 5: HOW OLD IS THE NATURAL WORLD?
5A: What About Radioactive Dating Methods?
5B: Age Estimates Based on Geological Evidence
5C: Estimates Based on Evidence from Outer Space
5D: Age Estimates Based on Population Data
5E: Historical-Cultural Evidence
5F: Age Estimates Based on Fossil Evidence: Human-Dinosaur Co-existence!
5-C: Estimates Based on Evidence from Outer Space
- Theories often take on a “life of their own” so that they are no more just “theories” but take on the status of universally accepted principles. The field of astronomy is full of bold assertions and explanations based mostly on opinion; scientific proof becomes an inconvenient afterthought, usually ignored and forgotten under the preponderance of “expert opinion”.
- Regarding the origin of the solar system, astronomers have gone to extraordinary lengths in trying to explain how its many “anomalies” came to be – peculiar features in our solar system that fit the Creationist viewpoint but don’t fit into the evolutionary perspective. The essay “Cosmic Catastrophes” by Spike Psarris (October, 2010) pokes fun at astronomers’ desperate efforts to explain the solar system’s origin according to standard evolutionary doctrine.
Supernovas
These happen when a star’s nuclear fuel has been exhausted, triggering sudden gravitational collapse. The result is a tremendous release of energy and an expanding cloud-like structure, which can be easily visible on Earth. Scientists know the rate at which supernovas are forming. The strange thing, however, is the fact that, if the universe is as old as is claimed, then there should be many more supernovas in our galaxy than are actually there. In addition, all the supernovas in existence now are in their early stages of development.
Transient Lunar Phenomena
Transient Lunar Phenomena – Result of Inner Core Heat and Activity
Astronomers tend to think that the Moon is geologically dead. If it is 3 billion years old, then the Moon, being small compared to Earth, should have cooled faster, and no hot magma would be left in its core. However, plenty of these Transient Lunar Phenomena are occurring. (In the Moon’s Aristarchus region, for example, 300 of them have been observed.) Again, here is another signpost pointing us to the realization that the Moon (and the Solar System and the Universe) are not that old.
Decaying Comets
As comets approach the Sun, they lose material, and some have burned out the first time they have been observed making this journey. If the universe were billions of years old, there shouldn’t be any comets left; all would have burned out by now. Secular astronomers have speculated that there is something called an “Oort Cloud” where comets are continually being manufactured; however, there is no scientific proof or observation to tell us that such a “cloud” actually exists. It is just a theory offered to explain in evolutionary terms the difficult question of why our Solar System still has comets.
Non-Twisted Galaxies
“The disk [of our Milky Way galaxy] has higher concentrations of luminous stars in some regions than others, forming a spiral structure. Many other galaxies also have this spiral structure, and this presents a problem for those people who believe that the universe is billions of years old. Spiral galaxies rotate faster near their core than they do near their perimeter. As a result, they are constantly twisting tighter with time and would be twisted beyond recognition if they were billions of years old. All spiral galaxies therefore appear quite young.” [excerpt from “The Knowledge of the Night”, Institute for Creation Research]
Matter versus Anti-Matter
If the formation of the Universe happened according to the “Big Bang” theory, that means the original energy of the original “singularity” (as it’s called) would have had to transform into equal amounts of matter and anti-matter. But from actual observation we know that the Universe is mostly made up of matter with only a small amount of anti-matter. And it’s a good thing this is so, because when the two get together, they violently destroy each other. The fact that the Universe is mostly matter is nothing less than a “design“ feature. That is, God made the Universe with the right balance of matter and anti-matter. This dilemma resembles a similar one in the biological domain mentioned earlier: “chirality”.
Creation of Stars
Veil Nebula
The prevailing theory about star formation asserts that they form out of collapsing nebulae (enormous “clouds” of extremely low-density hydrogen and helium gas). But gas has a natural tendency to expand, not compress. Such a process cannot happen under normal circumstances. (Boyle’s law: Pressure and temperature build up as the gas volume decreases; 2nd Law of Thermodynamics: matter and energy tend to dissipate not concentrate.) Contrary to the impression given by secular astronomers, no one has ever seen a star forming. And the reason is, they could not have formed by themselves; they were created.
Presence of Blue Stars
Blue stars are the most massive and luminous type of star. They can only last a few million years because they expend their fuel rapidly. Yet we observe untold numbers of them in galaxies that are supposed to be billions of years old. Again, we see evidence pointing to the fact that even the Universe, as vast as it is, was created in the recent past, and by supernatural means.
Youthful Saturn
Astronomers are perplexed by the fact that Saturn and its rings look pristine and youthful. “Because the icy particles that make up the rings are continually bombarded by space dust, they should be dark and sooty after billions of years. Instead, since the icy particles are still bright and shiny, they must be relatively young. And if the rings are young, Saturn itself might be young too!” [Excerpt from “Picture Perfect: a Youthful Saturn” by Dr. Jake Hebert, 24 Aug 2020]
