Monday, August 11, 2025

Big City Astronomy

 

Psalm 19:1 King James Version

19 The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork.

 

Big City Astronomy



 

 






Great astronomical observatories tend to be on high mountains far away from the dwellings of people, with good reason—city lights. Go out in a parking lot sometime and look up. It’s almost impossible to tell whether it is cloudy or clear. At the right times, you may see the moon.

Last week my brother sent me a text message with his first picture of two dots of light in a dark sky between two palm trees. The upper one (brighter) is Venus and the other Jupiter. On Sabbath morning, I went to my bedroom window before 6:00 a.m. and could see the dots, one nestled on the top electric line. I have blue circles in the second picture, around the dots to help you find them. That one was almost too late to be able to see them. The out-of-focus square lines are the mosquito netting on my bedroom window. I took the last picture at 5:00 this morning (August 11). Do you see how close the planets appear to be to each other? The picture was highly adjusted by my phone to make it look more like daylight. The planets are close together above the fencepost. From here on out, you will be able to see both of them before sunrise, but they will be separating steadily. It is major chore to see God’s handiwork in today’s illuminated world.

The sad fact is that today’s light successfully obscures most astronomical events to us living in town. For many years I used to take a group of my students up to Las Vegas to a major computer show. On our way home we would stop at a casino and buy supper. Then we would caravan down I-15 freeway in the dark, I would often exit the freeway in the middle of the Mojave desert, miles from any lights. The caravan would follow me off the freeway. When we stopped in pitch darkness, the students would all run up to my car as I got out, enquiring: “What’s wrong Dr. Clarke?” “Why did you stop?”

When I had their attention and their eyes had adjusted to the darkness, I would point skyward and say “look up!” Expressions of amazement would escape their mouths. These city slickers had never before seen the glory of God’s vast starry heavens.

“By the word of the Lord were the heavens made and all the host of them by the breath of His mouth.” Psalm 33:6.

I know this is easier written than done, but go out into a very dark night miles away from all city lights, and take you time looking at the marvelous astronomical handiwork of our caring Creator. Spend 20 minutes or more letting the peace of God flood your soul.

Jesus our loving savior will become more real to you, after all He is the one who created this universe: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by Him; and without Him was not any thing made that was made.” John 1: 1-3 Take your mind off of the emaciated, persecuted, haggard, bloody star of “The Passion” And become astounded by the omniscient, omnipresent, omnipotent, omnibenevolent, almighty God—Jesus Christ.

His redeeming grace is freely offered to you, and His steadfast love and invincible power will see you through to the home He has prepared for you.

 

 

 

 

Wednesday, August 6, 2025

The Sun is Running out of Energy

 

[1]

Psalm 102:25-27 Good News Translation

25 long ago you created the earth,
    and with your own hands you made the heavens.
26 They will disappear, but you will remain;
    they will all wear out like clothes.
You will discard them like clothes,
    and they will vanish.
27 But you are always the same,
    and your life never ends.

 

Since I was ten years old, I have been enamored by the universe. Some things have puzzled me, especially from a creationist world view. [Of course, from a big bang world view I was stymied from the git go—the Big Bang.] One puzzle is the size and apparent antiquity of the universe. Another is the temporary nature of everything. This also appears to be puzzling the psalmist

As we examine the sun, it appears to be a giant bonfire, consuming fuel (hydrogen) at a prodigious rate. Evidently the fuel will run out, whether or not there was ever sin in the universe. This has been disturbing to me. The Lord has designed obsolescence into our home, our planet, our solar system. The psalmist recognized this: “They will disappear, but you will remain. … You will discard them like clothes, and they will vanish.” God does not plan that we will remain on the “third rock from the sun” forever! The psalmist concludes “But you are always the same, and your life never ends!” Besides God, the only constant in the universe is change.

In my more adventurous puzzling, I realize that God is definitely not part of our universe. He made the universe; therefore, he antecedes the universe. This is a most comforting concept. Since God is not in our universe, He is outside our universe. If He is outside our universe, then He can be as close to us as He wishes, but since He is outside it is impossible for us to detect Him. Of course, it also means He can interact with us in whatever way He pleases—such as healing, communicating, and adjusting events. It also means that when our sun starts running out of fuel, He can place us in orbit about a brand-new sun.

Thank You Lord that you are always the same especially in our universe where the only constant is change. We count on You for we know You are thinking of and preparing for every change.

 




[1] https://spaceplace.nasa.gov/review/solar-system-scramble/scramble-text.html