Today’s New Reason To Believe

by Hugh Ross

One of the most extraordinary features of the solar system is that it contains adequate abundances of all the elements essential for advanced life. What makes it so exceptional is that the elements must come from different sources: asymptotic giant branch stars, a Type I supernova (see here and here), Type II supernovae of at least two different types, white dwarf binary stars, and now, according to a new study also from a “faint supernova with mixing fallback.”¹

A team of six Japanese astronomers, plus an American astronomer, carefully recorded the amounts of decay products from the following short-lived radionuclides (SLRs): beryllium-10, aluminum-26, chlorine-36, calcium-41, manganese-53, iron-60, palladium-107, iodine-129, and hafnium-182. In their calculations the team demonstrated that ejection of heavy-element material into the primordial solar system’s protoplanetary disk came from all but the last source mentioned above. However, none of these astrophysical sources can account for the early solar system’s abundances of SLRs with half-lives less than five million years, namely aluminum-26, calcium-41, manganese-53, and iron-60.

The astronomers’ calculations revealed that a rare kind of supernova could explain the solar system’s abundances of these particular SLRs. This supernova type is a low-luminosity (that is, faint) supernova where, during the star’s explosion, the inner region of the star experiences mixing. A small fraction of the mixed material is ejected into the interstellar medium and the remainder falls back into the core. In the words of the research team, “The modeled SLR abundances agree well with their solar system abundances.”

They also calculated the time interval between the explosion of the faint supernova and the formation of solar system’s oldest solid materials. That interval is approximately equal to one million years. The faint supernova eruption would need to be quite near the solar system forming region but not so close as to disturb its formation. Likewise, the timing and the proximity for the other sources (asymptotic giant branch stars, Type I supernova, Type II supernovae of at least two different types, white dwarf binary stars) of the heavy elements would need to be similarly fine-tuned.

SLRs make two important contributions to the solar system. One, they are heat sources for primordial asteroidal metamorphism and/or differentiation. Primordial asteroids are the building blocks for the solar system’s rocky planets (Mars, Earth, Venus, and Mercury). Thus, Earth’s exceptional interior differentiation (a crucial factor for establishing its strong, long-lasting magnetic field) is due, in part, to the primordial solar nebula’s exceptional abundances of SLRs.

Two, they provide high-resolution chronometers for events that took place during the first few million years of the solar system’s formation. Continuing studies could potentially yield a detailed history for early solar system events with a timing precision of better than a hundred thousand years for the different occurrences. Such historical accuracy could deliver much more evidence for the supernatural design of the solar system for life’s, and humanity’s, benefit.

1. A. Takigawa et al., “Injection of Short-Lived Radionuclides into the Early Solar System from a Faint Supernova with Mixing Fallback,” Astrophysical Journal 688 (December 1, 2008): 1382-87.

by Hugh Ross

Important decisions in life, like whom to marry, are best made in the context of multiple independent confirmations along with efforts to improve their reliability. When all possible confirming efforts say she or he is the right one, one can be confident that the right decision has been made.

The same principle applies in scientific research. Scientists strive to test their hypotheses by developing as many independent experiments and observations as possible of the phenomenon under investigation. Given an adequate number of independent tests, if every possible experimental and observational method produces results consistent with a particular hypothesis, then scientists can be reasonably assured that the hypothesis is correct.

For many years now the Supernova Cosmology Project (SCP)—a team comprised of seventy astronomers working in institutions in eleven different nations—has been striving to improve one of the observational linchpins of the big bang creation model. This linchpin is the observation of Type Ia supernova eruptions in galaxies across a wide range of distances as a tool to measure the cosmic expansion rate throughout cosmic history. The theological importance of such a measurement is that for thousands of years the Bible stood alone in predicting that the universe continuously expands under constant laws of physics from an actual beginning of all matter, energy, space, and time.¹

Each Type Ia supernovae possesses the same mass at the time of its eruption, namely about 1.4 times the mass of the Sun. Possessing the identical mass means that, except for some minor adjustments for variations in their metal abundances, all Type Ia supernovae manifest the same luminosity or brightness. Consequently, they are standard candles. Thus, accurate distances to extremely faraway supernovae can be determined by comparing their measured brightnesses with those of nearby supernovae, which astronomers already have determined precise distances by independent means of measurement.

In order to determine the cosmic expansion rate throughout the universe’s history researchers need, besides accurate distances, precise measures of the rates at which the respective supernovae are moving away from Earth. Astronomers gain these data by assessing the redshifts in the spectra of the supernovae. According to Einstein’s theory of special relativity, the faster an object moves away from an observer the closer to the red end of the spectrum the spectral lines in the object’s spectrum shift.

The SCP has updated their cosmic expansion results by assembling measurements of 414 different Type Ia supernovae from several supernovae survey catalogs.² This update includes nearly double the number of supernovae used in their previous work though 107 of these 414 had to be eliminated because of doubtful measurements.

With their analysis of the additional measurements, the SCP published improved constraints on a number of important cosmological parameters. They determined a value for the quantity of dark energy, namely that it comprises 71.3 ± 2.8 percent of all the stuff of the universe. This compares very favorably with the best WMAP measurement, which placed the quantity of dark energy at 71.2 percent. The SCP also produced the best constraint to date on possible variation over time of the dark energy parameter. While not proving that the dark energy parameter is strictly constant over the history of the universe, the SCP’s results were consistent with that parameter being constant.

Improved precision of the SCP’s results and their consistency with the best WMAP measurement of the cosmic microwave background radiation means that scientists now have reasons for even greater confidence in the big bang creation model. Thus, the cosmic creation model most consistent with the Bible remains even more securely established.

1. Hugh Ross, The Creator and the Cosmos, 3rd ed. (Colorado Springs: NavPress, 2001), 23-29.
2. M. Kowalski et al., “Improved Cosmological Constraints from New, Old, and Combined Supernova Data Sets,” Astrophysical Journal 686 (October 20, 2008): 749-778.

Previously Posted July 2nd, 2008 by Jeff Zweerink

I travel frequently for work and pleasure. Whether loading up the minivan for a vacation or packing bags to fly to a speaking event, I work hard to avoid carrying unnecessary baggage. I also apply this principle to my apologetics work at Reasons To Believe.

I officially debuted on RTB’s weekly webcast, Creation Update, on August 5th, 2005. I discussed the possibility of liquid water on Mars. In particular, radioisotope measurements on a set of Martian meteorites demonstrated that the temperature of the rock out of which the meteorites formed never exceeded 0^oC (32sup>oF) over the last four billion years.

I looked at such evidence as confirmation that Earth was designed as the only planet that ever sustained large liquid water oceans. After all, life depends on liquid water. Thus, if no other planet ever had oceans, no other planet would have ever supported life.

Had I maintained an apologetic argument that Earth is designed as the only planet that contained liquid water oceans, a number of discoveries over the past couple of years would have challenged my position. At least two different lines of evidence now indicate that Mars sustained large bodies of liquid water on its surface sometime in the past. Furthermore, Jupiter’s moon Europa contains a large sub-surface liquid ocean under its outer ice crust.

However, as I reread various creation passages, I realized that the Bible seems to imply that Earth is not the only planet with water oceans. Consider the first two verses of Genesis:

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. And the earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep; and the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters. (NASB) [emphasis added]

Before any explicit intervention by God in Earth’s formation, the author of Genesis describes it as covered with a liquid water ocean. The rest of Genesis 1 describes some of the miraculous work God performs to transform Earth from a structureless, dark, and empty body into a planet with diverse habitats teeming with life. It is rational to conclude that strictly natural processes can produce planets that contain substantial liquid water. In fact, that may be the starting condition of most Earth-sized planets.

I am not saying that Earth does not exhibit design. I am simply noting that one of my original ideas of how that design would be displayed was incorrect. Careful reading of Scripture helped me formulate a more accurate picture of how scientists would find Earth designed to support life. For example, further research into the water environment of Mars recently demonstrated that the salt content was far too high to permit life to originate or even exist on Mars. In other words, large liquid water oceans are not sufficient for life. The oceans must exhibit additional fine-tuning. Fuz will discuss this result further in tomorrow’s TNRTB.

By carefully studying the words of the Bible and the record of nature, I was able to put away an unnecessary piece of apologetics baggage. Perhaps it is helpful to recall past examples of unneeded arguments that hindered the church’s witness:

1. The Bible says that the sun revolves around the Earth.
2. The Bible says that Earth is at the center of the universe.
3. The Bible says that the characteristics of species never change.
4. The Bible says that the Earth and the universe must be no more than 10,000 years old.

An apologist builds a body of evidence to support his position. However, any position is much easier to support if it carries no unnecessary weight.