Difference between revisions of "Astronomy"

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'''Astronomy''' is the science of observing space and the objects in it (excluding Earth). It has been studied since ancient times, forming a major part of the religions of many early civilizations such as the [[Egpyt|Egyptians]] and the [[Aztecs]]. The great stone henge at [[Stonehenge]] in [[England]] is also thought to be an astronomical observatory. The handing down of complex astronomical teachings shows these early [[civilization]]s must have had formalized systems of [[education]].
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'''Astronomy''' is the [[science]] of observing space and the objects in it. It has been studied since ancient times, forming a major part of the [[religion]]s of many early [[civilization]]s such as the [[Egpyt|Egyptians]] and the [[Aztecs]]. The great stone henge at [[Stonehenge]] in [[England]] is also thought to be an astronomical observatory. The handing down of complex astronomical teachings shows these early [[civilization]]s must have had formalized systems of [[education]].
  
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Astronomy was crucial to the development of [[safe]] and accurate [[navigation]] for ships, and observations of the movement of [[heaven|heavenly bodies]] helped lead to the theories we know call [[physics]]. In fact, much of astronomy today relies physics, thus many astronomers are considered astrophysicists.<br />
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Astronomy was crucial to the development of [[safe]] and accurate [[navigation]] for ships, and observations of the movement of [[heaven|heavenly bodies]] helped lead to the theories we now call [[physics]]. In fact, much of astronomy today relies physics, thus many astronomers are considered astrophysicists.<br />
  
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==Recent research==
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== Young Earth Creationism View ==
  
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Astronomers have searched for ways to find out accurately how old a [[star]] is. A new technique called gyrochronology, which works this out based on the star’s rate of rotation, has just been announced and will be published in the ''Astrophysical Journal''. <ref> http://www.astronomy.com/asy/default.aspx?c=a&id=5479 </ref>
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The [[theory of evolution]] has had considerable influence on fields outside of biology and this includes the field of astronomy. For example, it is common for astronomers to refer to the "evolution of the universe".<ref>http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v435/n7042/edsumm/e050602-01.html</ref> [[Young earth creationism|Young earth creationist]] scientists believe the evolutionary view has had a negative effect on science of astronomy and that [[Materialism|materialistic]] explanations of the the origins of various astronomical bodies are insufficient and counter evidence.<ref>http://www.creationscience.com/onlinebook/AstroPhysicalSciences.html</ref><ref>http://www.creationontheweb.com/content/view/3836</ref> For example, these scientists cite various examples from the scientific literature in order to demonstrate that materialistic ideas in astronomy have failed to have any explanatory power:
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Knowing the age of the host star of a [[planetary system]] helps astronomers understand how planetary systems change over time.  
 
  
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The research shows that the rotation period of a star changes steadily and predictably in line with its age and color. Thus, by measuring two of these attributes you can determine the third. The star’s color is a visible sign of its [[mass]] or surface temperature. The age of the [[Sun]] is known (4.6 billion years<ref>http://cosmos.phy.tufts.edu/~zirbel/ast21/handouts/Energy-of-Sun-better.PDF</ref>) and can be used to calibrate the gyrochronology of most other stars.
 
  
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There are other methods of working out a star’s age, but they have much larger uncertainties than gyrochronology. Unlike some other methods, gyrochronology also works well for stars not found in star clusters (‘field’ stars). It is used to calculate the age of stars that burn their hydrogen fuel at a predictable and steady rate; it does not work so well for younger stars, although the researchers hope to do future work to extend the method to these.
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““...most every prediction by theorists about [[Planet|planetary]] formation has been wrong.”  Scott Tremaine, as quoted by Richard A. Kerr, “Jupiters Like Our Own Await Planet Hunters,” Science, Vol. 295, 25 January 2002, p. 605.<ref>http://www.creationscience.com/onlinebook/ReferencesandNotes43.html</ref>
  
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The forthcoming [[NASA]] Kepler Mission will yield more information about the rotation period of other stars, as this is information gleaned while searching for the transit of new planets orbiting across their disks. Once researchers have more precise ages for stars, other problems of chronometry can be solved and a better study made of the way astronomical phenomena change through time, using the stars themselves as clocks.
 
  
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The fact that radiotelescopes can detect the light of stars billions of light years away proves that the universe is billions of years old, as the light must have left those stars that long ago to reach us now travelling at the speed of light.
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“We don’t understand how a single [[star]] forms, yet we want to understand how 10 billion stars form.” Carlos Frenk, as quoted by Robert Irion, “Surveys Scour the Cosmic Deep,” Science, Vol. 303, 19 March 2004, p. 1750. <ref>http://www.creationscience.com/onlinebook/ReferencesandNotes60.html</ref>
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“We cannot even show convincingly how [[Galaxy|galaxies]], stars, planets, and life arose in the present universe.” Michael Rowan-Robinson, “Review of the Accidental Universe,” New Scientist, Vol. 97, 20 January 1983, p. 186. <ref>http://www.creationscience.com/onlinebook/ReferencesandNotes61.html</ref>
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Young earth [[creationism|creationists]] scientists believe that the first and second law of thermodynamics argue against an eternal universe and they also argue that these laws point to the universe being supernaturally created. <ref>[http://godevidences.net/space/lawsofscience.php Evidences for God From Space&mdash;Laws of Science]</ref><ref>Thompson, Bert, [http://www.apologeticspress.org/articles/2329 So Long, Eternal Universe; Hello Beginning, Hello End!], 2001 (Apologetics Press)</ref>
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Young earth creation scientists also advance a number of reasons for the earth and universe being approximately 6,000 years old,<ref>[http://www.answersingenesis.org/home/area/faq/young.asp ‘Young’ age of the Earth & Universe Q&A] (Answers in Genesis).</ref><ref name="AiG Astr QA">[http://www.answersingenesis.org/home/area/faq/astronomy.asp Astronomy and Astrophysics Questions and Answers] (Answers in Genesis).</ref><ref>[http://www.creationontheweb.com/content/view/3040/ ‘Young’ age of the Earth & Universe Q&A] (Creation Ministries International).</ref> and raise a number of objections to claims of an extremely old age for the earth and the universe.<ref>[http://www.answersingenesis.org/home/area/faq/dating.asp Radiometric Dating Questions and Answers] (Answers in Genesis)</ref>  In regards to the field of [[geology]] these scientists believe that the evolutionary geological timescale is in error.<ref>Woodmorappe, John, [http://www.trueorigin.org/geocolumn.asp The Geologic Column: Does It Exist?] ''Journal of Creation'' 13(2):77–82, 1999 </ref><ref>Morris, Henry, [http://www.icr.org/index.php?module=articles&action=view&ID=54 Geology and the Flood] ''Impact'' 6, August 1973</ref><ref>[http://www.allaboutcreation.org/geologic-time-scale.htm Geologic Time Scale - The Misconceptions] (All About Creation)</ref>  Young earth creationist scientists also believe that there are multiple lines of evidence from the field of geology showing that the earth is young.<ref>[http://www.answersingenesis.org/home/area/faq/geology.asp Geology Questions and Answers] (Answers in Genesis)</ref><ref>[http://www.creationism.org/topbar/geology.htm Geology] (Creation.org)</ref><ref>Roth, Ariel A.[http://www.grisda.org/georpts/gr11.htm Catastrophism — Is It Scientific?] ''Geoscience Reports'' Spring 1990 No. 11.
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</ref><ref>[http://www.nwcreation.net/geologylinks.html Geology Links] (Northwest Creation Network)</ref><ref>Baumgardner, John, [http://globalflood.org/ Genesis Flood] [[28 July]] [[2003]].</ref>  In addition, young earth creationist scientists contest the [[Big Bang Theory]] stating that it is scientifically unsound.
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<ref name="BB Critique">Thompson, Bert, Harrub, Brad, and May, Branyon [http://www.apologeticspress.org/modules.php?name=Read&cat=1&itemid=22 The Big Bang Theory—A Scientific Critique] ''Apologetics Press'', May 2003 - 23[5]:32-34,36-47.</ref>
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<ref>Brown, Walt, 2001, [http://www.creationscience.com/onlinebook/AstroPhysicalSciences16.html Big Bang?]</ref><ref>http://www.apologeticspress.org/articles/309</ref><ref>http://www.apologeticspress.org/articles/2047</ref><ref>http://www.icr.org/article/343/</ref>
  
 
==References==
 
==References==

Revision as of 02:47, May 4, 2007

Astronomy is the science of observing space and the objects in it. It has been studied since ancient times, forming a major part of the religions of many early civilizations such as the Egyptians and the Aztecs. The great stone henge at Stonehenge in England is also thought to be an astronomical observatory. The handing down of complex astronomical teachings shows these early civilizations must have had formalized systems of education.

Astronomy was crucial to the development of safe and accurate navigation for ships, and observations of the movement of heavenly bodies helped lead to the theories we now call physics. In fact, much of astronomy today relies physics, thus many astronomers are considered astrophysicists.

Young Earth Creationism View

The theory of evolution has had considerable influence on fields outside of biology and this includes the field of astronomy. For example, it is common for astronomers to refer to the "evolution of the universe".[1] Young earth creationist scientists believe the evolutionary view has had a negative effect on science of astronomy and that materialistic explanations of the the origins of various astronomical bodies are insufficient and counter evidence.[2][3] For example, these scientists cite various examples from the scientific literature in order to demonstrate that materialistic ideas in astronomy have failed to have any explanatory power:


““...most every prediction by theorists about planetary formation has been wrong.” Scott Tremaine, as quoted by Richard A. Kerr, “Jupiters Like Our Own Await Planet Hunters,” Science, Vol. 295, 25 January 2002, p. 605.[4]


“We don’t understand how a single star forms, yet we want to understand how 10 billion stars form.” Carlos Frenk, as quoted by Robert Irion, “Surveys Scour the Cosmic Deep,” Science, Vol. 303, 19 March 2004, p. 1750. [5]


“We cannot even show convincingly how galaxies, stars, planets, and life arose in the present universe.” Michael Rowan-Robinson, “Review of the Accidental Universe,” New Scientist, Vol. 97, 20 January 1983, p. 186. [6]


Young earth creationists scientists believe that the first and second law of thermodynamics argue against an eternal universe and they also argue that these laws point to the universe being supernaturally created. [7][8]

Young earth creation scientists also advance a number of reasons for the earth and universe being approximately 6,000 years old,[9][10][11] and raise a number of objections to claims of an extremely old age for the earth and the universe.[12] In regards to the field of geology these scientists believe that the evolutionary geological timescale is in error.[13][14][15] Young earth creationist scientists also believe that there are multiple lines of evidence from the field of geology showing that the earth is young.[16][17][18][19][20] In addition, young earth creationist scientists contest the Big Bang Theory stating that it is scientifically unsound. [21] [22][23][24][25]

References

  1. ↑ http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v435/n7042/edsumm/e050602-01.html
  2. ↑ http://www.creationscience.com/onlinebook/AstroPhysicalSciences.html
  3. ↑ http://www.creationontheweb.com/content/view/3836
  4. ↑ http://www.creationscience.com/onlinebook/ReferencesandNotes43.html
  5. ↑ http://www.creationscience.com/onlinebook/ReferencesandNotes60.html
  6. ↑ http://www.creationscience.com/onlinebook/ReferencesandNotes61.html
  7. ↑ Evidences for God From Space—Laws of Science
  8. ↑ Thompson, Bert, So Long, Eternal Universe; Hello Beginning, Hello End!, 2001 (Apologetics Press)
  9. ↑ ‘Young’ age of the Earth & Universe Q&A (Answers in Genesis).
  10. ↑ Astronomy and Astrophysics Questions and Answers (Answers in Genesis).
  11. ↑ ‘Young’ age of the Earth & Universe Q&A (Creation Ministries International).
  12. ↑ Radiometric Dating Questions and Answers (Answers in Genesis)
  13. ↑ Woodmorappe, John, The Geologic Column: Does It Exist? Journal of Creation 13(2):77–82, 1999
  14. ↑ Morris, Henry, Geology and the Flood Impact 6, August 1973
  15. ↑ Geologic Time Scale - The Misconceptions (All About Creation)
  16. ↑ Geology Questions and Answers (Answers in Genesis)
  17. ↑ Geology (Creation.org)
  18. ↑ Roth, Ariel A.Catastrophism — Is It Scientific? Geoscience Reports Spring 1990 No. 11.
  19. ↑ Geology Links (Northwest Creation Network)
  20. ↑ Baumgardner, John, Genesis Flood 28 July 2003.
  21. ↑ Thompson, Bert, Harrub, Brad, and May, Branyon The Big Bang Theory—A Scientific Critique Apologetics Press, May 2003 - 23[5]:32-34,36-47.
  22. ↑ Brown, Walt, 2001, Big Bang?
  23. ↑ http://www.apologeticspress.org/articles/309
  24. ↑ http://www.apologeticspress.org/articles/2047
  25. ↑ http://www.icr.org/article/343/


EXTERNAL LINKS

The NASA Homepage
The NASA Planetary Photojournal
American Astronomical Society
British Astronomical Association
A guide on how to start

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