Good Heavens! The Human Side of Astronomy

For the month of August, Wayne and I are taking a little break from the heavens for a very special focus on the Earth, specifically some spectacular geological evidence for the biblical flood.  And in this three-part series we are honored to have as our very special guest one of the top creation geologists in the world Dr. Andrew Snelling of Answers in Genesis.  Whether you are a young or old-earth creationist, a skeptic, agnostic, atheist or whether you know next to nothing about geology, we think you'll find our three-part series fascinating and enlightening. Our talk with Dr. Snelling will be focused mainly on the many examples Dr. Snelling believes provide solid geological evidence for the flood as described in the Book of Genesis (chapters 6-9).  Here on part one, we talk about how Dr. Snelling became interested in geology, oceanic fossil finds in Kansas and the remarkably enormous Tapeats sandstone sedimentary layer that covers a large swath of North America and other parts of the globe. Links and Resources:  Dr. Andrew Snelling holds a PhD in geology from the University of Sydney, Australia. Dr. Snelling is active in research, writing and also speaking on topics such as the flood, fossils, the Grand Canyon, and the radioactive dating of rocks. He is the author of numerous scholarly articles and papers as well as the author of The Genesis Flood Revisited (2009, 2022 Master Books).   The Genesis Flood Revisited: https://www.masterbooks.com/the-genesis-flood-revisited Answers Research Journal: https://answersresearchjournal.org/geology/monument-fold-grand-canyon/ Andrew's Bio: https://answersingenesis.org/bios/andrew-snelling/ Previous Good Heavens! Episodes on Flood Stories from Native North American Tribes https://goodheavens.podbean.com/e/flood-stories-part-1-from-native-people-of-north-south-america/ https://goodheavens.podbean.com/e/flood-stories-part-2-from-native-people-of-north-south-america/ Articles by Dr. Snelling: https://answersingenesis.org/bios/andrew-snelling/articles/ Was there a Global Flood?  Blog article by Wayne https://creationanswers.net/answersblog/2019/04/15/was-there-a-global-flood/   Podbean enables our podcast to be on Apple Podcasts and other major podcast platforms.  To support Good Heavens! on Podbean as a patron, you can use the Podbean app, or go to https://patron.podbean.com/goodheavens.  This goes to Wayne Spencer. If you would like to give to the ministry of Watchman Fellowship or to Daniel Ray, you can donate at https://www.watchman.org/daniel. Donations to Watchman are tax deductible.

We continue our discussion about the Hubble Constant and delve into a few other cosmic anomalies, including the assumption Albert Einstein made regarding the speed of light. And, somehow, we also ended up talking about Noah's flood and the Whopper Sand. You'll have to listen to the end to find out how that happened! Come and see how we think it all points to the glory and majesty of God. Dan's very short video on the whooper sand.   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7r9COYBra94   The following links are not meant to imply the ideas contained therein reflect those of Good Heavens! or Watchman Fellowship, Inc. All of these, with the exception of Danny Faulkner, are presented from a completely secular perspective of the universe Veritasium Video on the one-way speed of light problem. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pTn6Ewhb27k More in-depth on the Hubble Constant - Interview with Christian astronomer Dr. Danny Faulkner on the Hubble Constant. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zqUkhyxCbPE Cosmological constant (not the same as the Hubble constant, but related).  https://wmap.gsfc.nasa.gov/universe/uni_accel.html Hubble constant - two different ways to measure (from 2020).  https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-a-dispute-over-a-single-number-became-a-cosmological-crisis/ Three ways to measure Hubble constant.  https://news.uchicago.edu/explainer/hubble-constant-explained  Brian Keating short video about using magnetism to measure the Hubble constant  https://youtu.be/kBdtvURyJ8Q?si=-wlE-9D1emA-NP1- Dr. Becky most recent video on the crisis.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yKmPJmaeP8A Adam Riese from the Space Telescope Science Institute who won the Nobel Prize in the late 90s for discovering the universe expansion was (allegedly) accelerating. His SH0ES team measured the Hubble constant at 74 km/s/mpsc, far above Wendy Freedman’s 69.8 and the CMBR at 67.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JmDszPExepc   Scientific American article on the HC from October 2023.  https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/a-possible-crisis-in-the-cosmos-could-lead-to-a-new-understanding-of-the-universe/   Wendy Freedman’s initial project of measuring HC using the HST to measure Cepheids.  https://www.stsci.edu/stsci/meetings/shst2/freedmanw.html Historical background on the HC from STScI. (2020)  https://www.stsci.edu/contents/newsletters/2020-volume-37-issue-02/hubble-and-the-constant-the-next-and-the-next-generation Good Heavens! Is a production of Watchman Fellowship, Inc. For more information on our ministry and our sister podcast Apologetics Profile, visit Watchman.org today! Contact Wayne and Dan at  Psalm1968@gmail.com    Podbean enables our podcast to be on Apple Podcasts and other major podcast platforms.  To support Good Heavens! on Podbean as a patron, you can use the Podbean app, or go to https://patron.podbean.com/goodheavens.  This goes to Wayne Spencer. If you would like to give to the ministry of Watchman Fellowship or to Daniel Ray, you can donate at https://www.watchman.org/daniel. Donations to Watchman are tax deductible.

Probably the only thing that is constant about the Hubble Constant is that it keeps changing! What is it? Why is it such a hot topic in cosmology today and why are some even calling it a "crisis"? Come along with Wayne and Dan as they dive into the quest for the elusive magic number. What does it mean for cosmology and what might it all have to do with the way God made the universe? The following links are not meant to imply the ideas contained therein reflect those of Good Heavens! or Watchman Fellowship, Inc. All of these, with the exception of Danny Faulkner, are presented from a completely secular perspective of the universe More in-depth on the Hubble Constant - Interview with Christian astronomer Dr. Danny Faulkner on the Hubble Constant. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zqUkhyxCbPE Cosmological constant (not the same as the Hubble constant, but related).  https://wmap.gsfc.nasa.gov/universe/uni_accel.html Hubble constant - two different ways to measure.  https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-a-dispute-over-a-single-number-became-a-cosmological-crisis/ Three ways to measure Hubble constant. https://news.uchicago.edu/explainer/hubble-constant-explained  Brian Keating short video about using magnetism to measure the Hubble constant  https://youtu.be/kBdtvURyJ8Q?si=-wlE-9D1emA-NP1- Dr. Becky most recent video on the crisis. https://youtu.be/yKmPJmaeP8A?si=Wf6ajm4qGuC5CZX6 Adam Riese from the Space Telescope Science Institute who won the Nobel Prize in the late 90s for discovering the universe expansion was (allegedly) accelerating. His SH0ES team measured the Hubble constant at 74 km/s/mpsc, far above Wendy Freedman’s 69.8 and the CMBR at 67. https://youtu.be/JmDszPExepc?si=03HqPi3RU5uRkSSl Technical  power point slides from Dr. Jo Dunkley on the PLANK CMBR data on the Hubble constant.  https://online.kitp.ucsb.edu/online/primocosmo13/dunkley/pdf/Dunkley_PrimoCosmo13_KITP.pdf Scientific American article on the HC from October 2023.  https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/a-possible-crisis-in-the-cosmos-could-lead-to-a-new-understanding-of-the-universe/ Wendy Freedman’s initial project of measuring HC using the HST to measure Cepheids.  https://www.stsci.edu/stsci/meetings/shst2/freedmanw.html Historical background on the HC from STScI. (2020)  https://www.stsci.edu/contents/newsletters/2020-volume-37-issue-02/hubble-and-the-constant-the-next-and-the-next-generation Good Heavens! Is a production of Watchman Fellowship, Inc. For more information on our ministry and our sister podcast Apologetics Profile, visit Watchman.org today! Contact Wayne and Dan!    Psalm1968@gmail.com    Podbean enables our podcast to be on Apple Podcasts and other major podcast platforms.  To support Good Heavens! on Podbean as a patron, you can use the Podbean app, or go to https://patron.podbean.com/goodheavens.  This goes to Wayne Spencer. If you would like to give to the ministry of Watchman Fellowship or to Daniel Ray, you can donate at https://www.watchman.org/daniel. Donations to Watchman are tax deductible.

What explanations have astronomers come up with to explain the recent mysterious discovery of JuMBOs in the Orion Nebula?  Why so many? How did they form? Why so many in pairs? Why did the form in the Orion Nebula? Here on part two we discuss some possible "naturalistic" hypotheses but conclude that no matter what technical explanation astronomers might offer, we believe these wonderful little orbs are just a small part of how the heavens declare the glory of God and show forth His marvelous handiwork. Come and see! Wayne's article on the subject. https://creationanswers.net/answersblog/2024/05/13/jumbos-in-orion/ Dan's article on the subject. https://thestoryofthecosmos.substack.com/p/a-jumbo-discovery-in-the-orion-nebula   Podbean enables our podcast to be on Apple Podcasts and other major podcast platforms.  To support Good Heavens! on Podbean as a patron, you can use the Podbean app, or go to https://patron.podbean.com/goodheavens.  This goes to Wayne Spencer. If you would like to give to the ministry of Watchman Fellowship or to Daniel Ray, you can donate at https://www.watchman.org/daniel. Donations to Watchman are tax deductible.

The "Standard Model" of particle physics is science's attempt to explain the basic, fundamental building blocks of the universe. In many ways, the Standard Model has accurately predicted many groundbreaking discoveries at the subatomic levels. But for everything the Standard Model has predicted and described, there are a great many things for which it cannot account. Never in a million years could anyone look at the intricacies of the atom and think that from this tiny Lego-block-like structure things like giant sequoia redwoods, or blue whales, or even enormous variegated swirling arms of stars in galaxies would come about! And the mysteries just continue to deepen! Last October, astronomers using the James Webb Space Telescope discovered a plethora of mysterious objects in the Orion Nebula, things for which there were really no classification schemes. Not stars, not planets, not asteroids, moons, comets, or brown dwarfs. What exactly was discovered, then? Haha! Think we would tell you before you listened to the episode? Come and see! (But if you must cheat and find out before you listen, well, ok. You can click below to articles written by Wayne and Dan). Wayne's article on the subject. https://creationanswers.net/answersblog/2024/05/13/jumbos-in-orion/ Dan's article on the subject. https://thestoryofthecosmos.substack.com/p/a-jumbo-discovery-in-the-orion-nebula   Podbean enables our podcast to be on Apple Podcasts and other major podcast platforms.  To support Good Heavens! on Podbean as a patron, you can use the Podbean app, or go to https://patron.podbean.com/goodheavens.  This goes to Wayne Spencer. If you would like to give to the ministry of Watchman Fellowship or to Daniel Ray, you can donate at https://www.watchman.org/daniel. Donations to Watchman are tax deductible.

Come and hear more on Saturn's rings and what scientists say about how they formed! Despite all science tells us about the sixth planet from the sun, the wondrously ringed world of Saturn, there is still much that remains unknown. And maybe we will never know all there is to know about it. And maybe that unknown is part of what the glory of God is all about, after all He is omniscient and we are not! But God has graciously enabled us to look at what He has made in the heavens in a very up-close and personal way. Saturn and its majestic rings certainly affirm what the Apostle Paul says in 1 Corinthians, "Star differs from star in glory" (in Scripture any light in the sky was considered a "star"). So come and enjoy more of Saturn's wonders and mysteries and how they point us to the glory of God in Christ.   Clip from ABC News clip from August 1981 interview with Dr. Carl Sagan https://youtu.be/KEYJoTSnolY?si=ekTssEAB03PWduPq September 2017 Cassini Press Conference Full Video: https://www.youtube.com/live/gs-dscW95PE?si=w6PTY6onccQIQ3Xa Link to "The Journal of Creation" December 2023 issue, featuring Wayne's article on Saturn's rings. The article is presently through subscription to the Journal only. https://creation.com/journal-of-creation-373 Dan's article on the hexagon high atop Saturn. https://open.substack.com/pub/thestoryofthecosmos/p/saturns-hexagonal-hurricane Watchman Fellowship's four-page Profile articles on Naturalism, Scientism, and Carl Sagan's Cosmos TV series. https://www.watchman.org/scientism/ProfileScientism.pdf https://www.watchman.org/Naturalism/ProfileNaturalism.pdf https://www.watchman.org/files/ProfileCosmos.pdf     Image from NASA/JPL, Cassini Mission   Podbean enables our podcast to be on Apple Podcasts and other major podcast platforms.  To support Good Heavens! on Podbean as a patron, you can use the Podbean app, or go to https://patron.podbean.com/goodheavens.  This goes to Wayne Spencer. If you would like to give to the ministry of Watchman Fellowship or to Daniel Ray, you can donate at https://www.watchman.org/daniel. Donations to Watchman are tax deductible.

Wayne made up "eclipsnic" to describe our combination picnic and eclipse we watched with not a little awe and wonder in Waxahachie, Texas on April 8, 2024. On this special episode we try to put into words what words cannot finally adequately describe. The event was truly wondrous - a carefully choreographed dance of the Sun, Moon, and Earth has to be experienced in person. If you did not get a chance to see this marvel, we try to give you a theater of the mind experience on this broadcast and make you feel like you were right there with us. From cloudy, inauspicious skies, to a frosted chocolate donut, getting air in Dan's tires, to the sun playing hide-and-seek with us for most of the morning, we bring you along with us on this once-in-a-lifetime event in the heavens.  And of course, we contemplate how it all points to the glory of God in Christ. So come and see! For a complete list of future total eclipses visit Nationaleclipse.com and start planning your trip! Audio from FOX 4 in Dallas - https://youtu.be/61FZMurmE1c?si=antS2ZO4zD_vhLzn   Podbean enables our podcast to be on Apple Podcasts and other major podcast platforms.  To support Good Heavens! on Podbean as a patron, you can use the Podbean app, or go to https://patron.podbean.com/goodheavens.  This goes to Wayne Spencer. If you would like to give to the ministry of Watchman Fellowship or to Daniel Ray, you can donate at https://www.watchman.org/daniel. Donations to Watchman are tax deductible.

  News clip from CBS https://youtu.be/ZSMiQQ7aQKI?si=2KKoL2ECu8YOgOln Link to "The Journal of Creation" December 2023 issue, featuring Wayne's article on Saturn's rings. The article is presently through subscription to the Journal only. https://creation.com/journal-of-creation-373 Dan's article on the hexagon high atop Saturn. https://open.substack.com/pub/thestoryofthecosmos/p/saturns-hexagonal-hurricane?r=29oa8g&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true Watchman Fellowship's four-page Profile articles on Naturalism, Scientism, and Carl Sagan's Cosmos TV series. https://www.watchman.org/scientism/ProfileScientism.pdf https://www.watchman.org/Naturalism/ProfileNaturalism.pdf https://www.watchman.org/files/ProfileCosmos.pdf For over 400 years now, ever since Galileo lifted up his little spyglass toward the enigmatic ringed planet Saturn, we have been fascinated, and not a little stumped, by the sixth planet from the sun's mysteries. Even with the latest advanced technologies, astronomers are still somewhat in the dark about how Saturn's rings came to be.  See how evidence from the NASA Cassini mission shows Saturn's rings cannot be billions of years old! On the next two episodes of Good Heavens! Wayne and Dan discuss many of the marvelous wonders of our billion-mile distant planetary neighbor. Come and see! Images of from NASA, STScI, and JWST. Podbean enables our podcast to be on Apple Podcasts and other major podcast platforms.  To support Good Heavens! on Podbean as a patron, you can use the Podbean app, or go to https://patron.podbean.com/goodheavens.  This goes to Wayne Spencer. If you would like to give to the ministry of Watchman Fellowship or to Daniel Ray, you can donate at https://www.watchman.org/daniel. Donations to Watchman are tax deductible.

Total eclipses are a spectacular and breathtaking wonder to behold. And a total eclipse is coming over the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex as well as parts of the eastern United States on April 8th, 2024. Totality in the DFW area will last a little over four minutes.  If you are in the vicinity of DFW, come join Wayne and Dan in Waxahachie, Texas on April 8th, 2024 for the Discovery Institute event. You can find tickets here at this link. https://www.discovery.org/e/eclipse/ Waxahachie, Texas will be nearly in the center of the moon's shadow as it passes over. There will not be another total eclipse over the continental United States for another twenty years. So if you can, get yourself to a spot where you can see this once-in-a-lifetime wonder of the heavens on April 8th. You can check out this comprehensive eclipse event website, complete with easy-to-read maps of where you can view it. https://nationaleclipse.com/index.html On this episode of Good Heavens! we had the privilege of talking with Discovery Institute astronomer Dr. Guillermo Gonzalez about his experiences in seeing total eclipses and a little bit about the science behind them and how he thinks they reveal the glory of God. Guillermo's article on Salvo. https://salvomag.com/article/salvo68/signs-in-the-sky Guillermo and Jay W. Richard's 2004 book, The Privileged Planet. https://www.discovery.org/store/product/privileged-planet/ Four-page Profile articles on Naturalism, Scientism, and Carl Sagan's Cosmos TV series. https://www.watchman.org/scientism/ProfileScientism.pdf https://www.watchman.org/Naturalism/ProfileNaturalism.pdf https://www.watchman.org/files/ProfileCosmos.pdf   Podbean enables our podcast to be on Apple Podcasts and other major podcast platforms.  To support Good Heavens! on Podbean as a patron, you can use the Podbean app, or go to https://patron.podbean.com/goodheavens.  This goes to Wayne Spencer. If you would like to give to the ministry of Watchman Fellowship or to Daniel Ray, you can donate at https://www.watchman.org/daniel. Donations to Watchman are tax deductible.

Stereo repost.  Current models of how our universe came to be are based on a few assumptions the brilliant physicist-genius Albert Einstein made about the universe - things he could not finally physically test or demonstrate.  In order to do his calculations, Einstein simply assumed that matter would be evenly distributed throughout the universe and that the universe would look the same in any direction or location.  If Einstein's assumptions are indeed correct, astrophysicists and cosmologists calculate that the largest structures we should expect to see in the universe would not exceed 1.2 billion light years in size.  But discoveries in recent decades have posed a significant challenge to Einstein's idea of homogeneity and isotropy, with several structures far and away exceeding the the 1.2 billion-light-year limit.  Are these cosmic superstructures for real or just  anomalies? Come and see! Links: Press conference with Alexia Lopez, a PhD student at the University of Lancashire in the UK who has recently discovered two such structures. https://www.youtube.com/live/86Ps7vE6JHI?feature=shared Wayne's updated article on things too big for the Big Bang. https://creationanswers.net/answersblog/2017/11/15/structures-too-big-for-the-big-bang/ Dan further ponders the theological implications in his blog about things too big for the Big Bang. https://thestoryofthecosmos.substack.com/p/are-there-things-just-too-big-for Good Heavens! is a production of Watchman Fellowship, Inc. For more information on apologetics, cults, world religions, and other non-Christian ideologies and spiritual practices, visit our website at http://www.watchman.org Check out Watchman's main podcast, Apologetics Profile.  https://www.podomatic.com/podcasts/jwalker55293 Original Too Big for the Big Bang Good Heavens! episode from 2017. Please excuse Dan's rather juvenile introduction on this one! https://goodheavens.podbean.com/e/good-heavens-are-there-things-too-big-for-the-big-bang/   Podbean enables our podcast to be on Apple Podcasts and other major podcast platforms.  To support Good Heavens! on Podbean as a patron, you can use the Podbean app, or go to https://patron.podbean.com/goodheavens.  This goes to Wayne Spencer. If you would like to give to the ministry of Watchman Fellowship or to Daniel Ray, you can donate at https://www.watchman.org/daniel. Donations to Watchman are tax deductible.