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Author Topic:   New Nature Article - Spin Control for Asteriods
crashfrog
Member (Idle past 1496 days)
Posts: 19762
From: Silver Spring, MD
Joined: 03-20-2003


Message 1 of 6 (55695)
09-16-2003 4:18 AM


There's a new article in Nature about the rotation of asteriods that I believe falsifies a YEC origin for the solar system.
I don't have access to the full article, and all I know I either read from the abstract or heard from the discussion of the article on NPR today. Basically astronomers have found that the asteroids that make up the asterioid belt do not tumble and rotate randomly, as was thought before. Instead, many of the asteriods rotate in sync or in harmony.
The explanation for this is believed to be eons of exposure to sunlight, which, over much time, gives the asteriods a "push" that sets them rotating in similar ways. As the solar radiation falling on asteriods so far from the sun is so very slight, it must have taken millions of years to set the asteriods spinning the way that they are.
This falsifies a young creation for the solar system because 6000 years isn't nearly enough time for sunlight to have that effect. In a young solar system the asteriods' rotation would be totally random as a result of occasional, unpredictable collisions.
Or that's what I got from the radio. (The relevance to the EvC issue is my own reasoning.) Perhaps somebody with access to the online version of the Nature article (Planetary Science: Spin Control for Asteriods by Richard P. Binzel) - somebody who doesn't have to pay $18.00 to see it, anyway - could post an excerpt and correct the mistakes I've likely made.
(I suppose God could have set the asteriods spinning that way to "test our faith", but that's a non-answer, really. God could do anything he wants under that reasoning, including giving us false memories. But a Chrisitan God of Truth wouldn't lie to us to test our faith, so it's not even a Biblical answer.)

Replies to this message:
 Message 2 by Dr Jack, posted 09-16-2003 7:55 AM crashfrog has replied

  
Dr Jack
Member
Posts: 3514
From: Immigrant in the land of Deutsch
Joined: 07-14-2003
Member Rating: 8.3


Message 2 of 6 (55720)
09-16-2003 7:55 AM
Reply to: Message 1 by crashfrog
09-16-2003 4:18 AM


The trouble I see here is that you first need to show that random tumbling is the expected result for YEC. I suspect many of our Creationist friends would argue that such order is a clear sign of design. (One Creationist book I was reading recently actually used Kepler's laws to try and prove design!)

This message is a reply to:
 Message 1 by crashfrog, posted 09-16-2003 4:18 AM crashfrog has replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 3 by crashfrog, posted 09-16-2003 2:46 PM Dr Jack has replied

  
crashfrog
Member (Idle past 1496 days)
Posts: 19762
From: Silver Spring, MD
Joined: 03-20-2003


Message 3 of 6 (55793)
09-16-2003 2:46 PM
Reply to: Message 2 by Dr Jack
09-16-2003 7:55 AM


The trouble I see here is that you first need to show that random tumbling is the expected result for YEC.
Easy. Assuming God creates them without initial spin, then any given asteriod should be spinless, or else be spinning randomly as a result of some infrequent collision. In the YEC timeline the only reason the asteriods would prevalently have the same spin, as they appear to now, would be because God set them spinning that way, and why would he do that? To trick us?

This message is a reply to:
 Message 2 by Dr Jack, posted 09-16-2003 7:55 AM Dr Jack has replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 6 by Dr Jack, posted 09-22-2003 8:36 AM crashfrog has not replied

  
crashfrog
Member (Idle past 1496 days)
Posts: 19762
From: Silver Spring, MD
Joined: 03-20-2003


Message 4 of 6 (55922)
09-17-2003 12:47 AM


BUMP - anytime you're ready, creationists.

  
crashfrog
Member (Idle past 1496 days)
Posts: 19762
From: Silver Spring, MD
Joined: 03-20-2003


Message 5 of 6 (56918)
09-22-2003 8:25 AM


Is there no creationist who will comment on this? Or any Nature subscribers who could give us some of the article?

  
Dr Jack
Member
Posts: 3514
From: Immigrant in the land of Deutsch
Joined: 07-14-2003
Member Rating: 8.3


Message 6 of 6 (56919)
09-22-2003 8:36 AM
Reply to: Message 3 by crashfrog
09-16-2003 2:46 PM


In the YEC timeline the only reason the asteriods would prevalently have the same spin, as they appear to now, would be because God set them spinning that way, and why would he do that? To trick us?
Surely an orderly set of spinning asteroids is a sign of ordeliness, and therfore, cleanliness, and cleanliness is next to godliness so god must be cleanly and therefore ordered so orderly spinning asteroids is what we should expect from a created universe.
It doesn't have to be trick.

This message is a reply to:
 Message 3 by crashfrog, posted 09-16-2003 2:46 PM crashfrog has not replied

  
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