Today’s New Reason To Believe

by Hugh Ross

The big bang creation event— as taught by the Bible for centuries¹— now stands well established by astronomers’ observations of the universe.² This observational evidence shows that the universe is predominantly comprised of dark energy (energy embedded in the space surface of the universe that causes the cosmic surface to expand faster and faster as the universe ages) and cold exotic dark matter (slow moving particles that weakly interact with photons). However, this model— known as the dark energy dominated cold exotic dark matter (ΛCDM) model— predicts that thousands of cold exotic dark matter haloes should accompany galaxies as large as the Milky Way and Andromeda. The gravitational pull of these haloes ought to attract enough ordinary matter (protons, neutrons, and electrons) to produce populations of stars, or dwarf galaxies, that astronomers should be able to detect through their largest telescopes.

Astronomers do see lots of dwarf galaxies, but not nearly enough to satisfy the ΛCDM model’s predictions. According to the model, astronomers should detect over ten times more exotic dark matter haloes than the number of dwarf galaxies they have actually found. This shortfall is known as the missing galaxies problem.

Several new discoveries now provide a resolution to the issue. They demonstrate that the exotic dark matter haloes are not missing. Rather, only a small percentage of them produce enough stars for the combined light of these stars to reach the light detection capabilities of the most powerful telescopes.

Two astronomers at the University of Zurich noted that seven of the eleven brightest dwarf galaxies associated with the Milky Way Galaxy (MWG) are not only situated in the proximity of the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds (the two largest dwarf galaxies in the vicinity of the MWG) but also lie along the plane of the orbit of the Large Magellanic Cloud.³ They surmised that these galaxies are all part of the tidal breakup of the Magellanic Group.

The University of Zurich astronomers then produced calculations demonstrating that the tidal breakup of the galaxies ignited star formation in each of them. Such ignition lit up the galaxies brilliantly enough that they exceeded the light detection limits of the largest telescopes. The two astronomers concluded their research paper with the proposal that most dwarf galaxies exist in tight associations with other dwarf galaxies. Unless such associations are broken up by a close encounter with a large enough galaxy such as the Milky Way, the smaller dwarf galaxies will remain much too dim to be detected by even the largest telescopes. If indeed the vast majority of exotic dark matter haloes produce too few stars for haloes to be observed, then the missing dwarf galaxy problem has been solved.

In the same issue of the Astrophysical Journal Letters, a team of ten astronomers announced the discovery of a new dwarf galaxy, Leo V.⁴ Leo V is an exceptionally dim galaxy that the team identified in the data of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (follow-up analysis was conducted using the Isaac Newton and Multiple Mirror Telescopes). Their analysis established that Leo V quite likely is in the same tidal stream as another small dwarf galaxy, Leo IV. Consequently, the conclusions of the University of Zurich astronomers find confirmation in the discovery and subsequent analysis of Leo V.

Given what astronomers now know about detected dwarf galaxies, there is no reason to presume that a missing galaxy problem plagues the ΛCDM big bang creation model. The issue appears simply to be the result of a gross underestimation of the ratio of cold exotic dark matter to ordinary matter in the smaller dwarf galaxies and a faulty assumption that such dwarf galaxies would, under ordinary conditions, produce a large number of stars. Consequently, the cosmic creation model that is most consistent with the Bible’s predictions remains even more securely established.

1. Hugh Ross, The Creator and the Cosmos, 3rd ed. (Colorado Springs: NavPress, 2001), 23-29.
2. Ibid., 31-67, 99-199; Hugh Ross, Why the Universe Is the Way It Is (Grand Rapids: Baker, 2008), 27-106, 209-14.
3. Elena D’Onghia and George Lake, “Small Dwarf Galaxies within Larger Dwarfs: Why Some Are Luminous While Most Go Dark,” Astrophysical Journal Letters 686 (October 20, 2008): L61-L65.
4. V. Belokurov et al., “Leo V: A Companion of a Companion of the Milky Way Galaxy?” Astrophysical Journal Letters 686 (October 20, 2008): L83-L86.

by Jeff Zweerink

Imagine a luxurious house on a remote ranch. Looking out the windows you see majestic mountains on one side and a scenic ocean expanse out the other. The location insures that you can enjoy the awe-inspiring scenery without disruptions. Such imagery corresponds to the solar system’s location in the Milky Way Galaxy (MWG). In fact, some scientists have argued that Earth’s idyllic habitat in the MWG reflects the work of a Designer who fashioned Earth with the explicit intent of humanity discovering his handiwork displayed throughout the universe.

Regardless, the solar system did not start out in such prime real estate. As discussed in a previous TNRTB, a chaotic and violent cluster of stars birthed our home. According to this scenario, a number of supernovae occurred in the cluster during the time period when the solar system formed. After formation, the Sun and all its planets were ejected from the dense cluster of stars before any interactions with adjacent stars disrupted the orderly orbits that now characterize Earth and the rest of the planets.

New research confirms that one of these supernovae in the dense star cluster probably triggered the formation of the solar system while simultaneously seeding it with an abundance of elements heavier than helium. This seeding enhances the concentration of radioactive isotopes incorporated into Earth so that it sustains life-critical plate tectonic activity for billions of years. While astronomers believed that supernovae could trigger star formation and simultaneous seeding, they had not been able to model the process on a computer using realistic conditions.

Early computer models of the process assumed a constant temperature for the supernova shock wave and the solar nebula. In reality, the collision of the shock wave with the nebula will cool the shock and heat the nebula. As described in an The Astrophysical Journal article, advances in computer modeling remedied this deficiency. However, in order for the nebula to remain sufficiently cool so that it collapses, it must contain an abundance of water and carbon dioxide. Consequently, before a life-sustaining solar system can form, at least one or two generations of stars must live and die in order for adequate quantities of carbon and oxygen (essential components of water and carbon dioxide) to exist.

This research provides further evidence that life arose in the universe as soon as the universe could support it. Such timing comports well with the idea that a supernatural Creator fashioned the universe with the purpose of creating life—particularly human life.

by Jeff Zweerink

When I first started graduate school in 1991, only the planets in our solar system were known. By the time I finished almost six years later, astronomers had found over a dozen planets beyond the solar system. They dubbed these new planets exoplanets. As of September 24, 2008, 313 exoplanets have been detected, including 268 planetary systems and 32 systems with multiple planets.

Astronomers used a number of different techniques to detect the exoplanets. They continually work to develop new techniques and make old techniques more sensitive. Though this is a difficult task, comprehending how planets form and change over time promises to greatly impact our understanding of our place in the cosmos. Work by astronomers at the University of Michigan provides another tool, working from a slightly different approach, in this endeavor.

The first phase of star-planet formation occurs when a gas cloud begins to collapse. As it collapses, a large disk of material forms around the protostar. This disk provides the materials for any potential planets. If planets begin to form, they will sweep up the material, creating a gap in the disk (as shown below).

(Credit: NASAs Spitzer Space Telescope)

The University of Michigan team detected gaps around two stars that are roughly one million years into the star-planet formation process. Previous gaps in disks had been seen. Since these gaps reached all the way to the central star, two different models could account for them. Either planet formation caused the gaps (as described above) or the star was photoevaporating the disk. In this more recent work the disk near the central star remains which rules out the photoevaporation model. Only the planet model can account for the gaps.

These observations complement exoplanet discoveries by permitting astronomers to study the processes that lead to planet formation. Reasons To Believe argues that much astronomical evidence points to a Creator fashioning the universe. As scientists understanding of the universe increases, the design evidence increases as well. Since humans must live on a planet, we expect a flood of evidence for design to flow in as scientists better comprehend the process of planetary system formation.