![]() The new world “Pluto” was considered the ninth planet for 76 years, but in 2006 the International Astronomical Union voted to reclassify Pluto as a “dwarf planet.” What prompted this change in nomenclature? More. In 1930, astronomer Clyde Tombaugh discovered a faint point of light orbiting the sun beyond Neptune. What wonderful secrets would be revealed? More. Astronomers all over the world waited eagerly for the first high-resolution images. Voyager 2 had traveled over four billion miles during its 12-year mission and was about to become the only spacecraft to visit distant Neptune. A small, unmanned space probe rapidly approached the mysterious and unexplored planet Neptune. Not least among these was the discovery of a previously unknown planet-Uranus. As telescopes grew in size and optical quality, these marvelous instruments enabled astronomers to detect and investigate astronomical phenomena that are difficult or impossible to see with the unaided eye. That changed in the 1600s with the invention of the telescope. The Solar System: Uranusįor millennia, the science of astronomy was limited to observations that could be made with the unaided eye. Composed of trillions of tiny moonlets-particles of water ice-these rings orbit Saturn, giving it a stunning, three-dimensional appearance quite different from any other planet. When people peer into a telescope and see Saturn for the first time, the typical response is “Wow!” All the other planets appear as simple disks with a few surface features, but Saturn’s rich system of rings makes it look more like a piece of celestial jewelry. The gas pressure increases with depth, eventually becoming liquid. ![]() The planet Jupiter is a wonderful example of the creativity of the Lord. Jupiter does not possess a solid surface but is an enormous spheroid of gas-eleven times the diameter of Earth-held together by its own gravity. This amazing planet has properties that both challenge secular ideas and confirm biblical creation. The surface of Mars is composed of oxidized compounds of iron-essentially rust. It appears as a vivid red star in our nighttime sky, giving rise to its nickname, the Red Planet. A solid, rocky world, Mars is just over half the size of Earth in diameter. The Solar System: MarsĪlthough Venus has been called Earth’s sister due to the similar size of these two worlds, the planet that appears most earthlike at its surface is undoubtedly Mars. But in the Christian worldview, this pale blue dot is the most important planet in the universe. From a secular perspective, that is all Earth is-a tiny bit of rock and water in a vast and meaningless universe of chance. This famous image of Earth is named the Pale Blue Dot. From such a tremendous distance, the earth appears as a tiny bluish-white grain of sand lost in an ocean of black. When the Voyager 1 spacecraft reached the edge of our solar system in 1990, it turned its camera around and photographed Earth. For these reasons Venus is sometimes referred to as “Earth’s sister” or “Earth’s twin.” But there are far more differences than similarities. The composition of Venus is also similar to Earth, and its orbit is physically closest to Earth’s of all the planets. With modern technology, we have learned a great deal about Venus. The unusual characteristics of this world make for an intriguing study. But when it comes to creation research of the early solar system, Mercury provides many interesting clues. It has mountains, valleys, plains, and craters-lots and lots of craters! In appearance, Mercury resembles a 40 percent larger (in radius) version of the moon. The smallest planet of our solar system holds some big mysteries for secular astronomers, and it continues to delight creationists. Mercury is a solid, rocky world, with only a trace of an atmosphere. When we examine the science of the sun, we find that it confirms biblical creation. ![]() The sun is remarkable in its complexity and power. The Solar System: The SunĪt the heart of our solar system is the sun, a stable hydrogen “bomb” that gives off more energy every second than a billion major cities would use in an entire year. ![]() ![]() As we study it, the universe continually surprises and delights us by challenging our understanding of how things work. God has constructed the universe in a truly marvelous way. Who could have guessed that those tiny little specks of light in our night sky are actually “suns” hundreds of times larger than Earth? Who would have suspected that the “evening star” is actually a rocky planet about the same size as our own? Things are not what they might seem at first glance. One of the wonderful things about astronomy is that it is so different from our everyday experience. Resources › Physical Sciences Resources» Next ![]()
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