Greetings
all my fine friends! How have you all fared this past week? Mine was a busy
one as usual but much more manageable than the earlier crazy weeks. Time management
is of the essence when multitasking!
And speaking
of time (and management - lol) we left off last week with the challenge to try
to figure out how time could be effected in the equation; time = distance ./. speed.
Well, if you
recall Einstein's theory of relativity, there are two things that are thought
to distort time; time and gravity. In general, his theory – which is even today
the best theory we have that explains gravity – point toward gravity as an
entity that can distort time.
Different equations
of general relativity (GR) have even proven this. For example clocks at the top
of very tall builds run faster than those on the bottom floors. “When the
concentration of matter is very large or dense enough, the gravitational distortion
can be so immense that even light cannot escape. The equations of GR show that
the invisible boundary surrounding such a concentration of matter (called the
event horizon, the point at which light rays trying to escape the enormous pull
of gravity bend back on themselves), time literally stands still.”1
If you
recall from last week, creationist physicist Dr. Russel Humphreys has worked on
a new cosmology theory. His theory states that the universe has boundaries. In other
words there is a center and an edge. Interestingly enough the bible tells us
there is a first, second and third heaven. Most creation scientists relate the
first heaven with our atmosphere, the second heaven with the cosmos and the
third heaven being the home of God and the angels, where Jesus is preparing a
mansion for us. So logically and scripturally it seems the universe has boundaries.
(Just for comparison, the big bang theory makes the subjective assumption –
without any evidence or otherwise to back it up – that the universe is infinite
with no edge and no center).
Dr.
Humphreys’ theory - that the universe
has boundaries – would mean a net gravitational effect toward the center would
be present (with earth being the center). So clocks on earth would run at a
different time than clocks at the edge of the cosmos (just as clocks at the top
of a tall skyscraper run faster than those on the ground floor). And don’t
forget God Himself is outside of time altogether.
We can
observe from the stars that the universe has expanded in the past. The bible
even supports this with phrases such as, during creation He stretched out or
spread out the heavens. Does this support the big bang theory? No! Now let me
explain…and it gets a little technical but don’t give up reading, and don’t
give up trying to understand…
Let’s say
the universe is not much bigger than what we observe today. And let’s say it was
only 50 times smaller in the past than it is now. Logic tells us (based on GR)
that it has to have expanded from its
previous state (50 times smaller). There would have to have been something that
caused it to expand (called an event horizon). This even horizon (technically
known as a “white hole” – the opposite of a black hole) is allowed within the
equations of GR.
“As matter
passed out of this event horizon, the horizon itself had to shrink – eventually
to nothing. Therefore, at one point this horizon would have been touching the
earth. In that instant, time on earth (relative to a point far away from it)
would have been virtually frozen. An observer on earth would not in any way ‘feel
different.’ ‘Billions of years’ would be available (in the frame of reference
within which it is traveling in deep space) for light to reach the earth, for
stars to age, birth of a stare, etc. – while less than an ordinary day is passing on earth. This massive
gravitational time dilation would seem to be a scientific inevitability if a
bounded universe has expanded significantly.”2 
In other
words, during such a time when the event horizon touched the earth, an observer
on earth would see light moving toward them from outer space appearing to
travel much faster than the speed of light and galaxies would even appear to
rotate faster. But if the observer were
in deep space, the light would appear to be traveling at the speed we know today
– the speed of light. The differences would be in the different gravitational effects
happening either closer or farther away from the center of the bounded universe.
That is Dr. Humphreys’
theory in a nutshell. If you are interested in more details, Dr. Humphreys has
written a book, Starlight and Time which
explains this theory on a laymen’s level as well as contains his technical
papers that depict his equations.
We will draw
the conclusions of this subject next week and answer any questions still
bothering you about time and the stars. Until then, enjoy your week and don’t
forget to star gaze!
God bless,
Willow
In the night
skies: “Now that it's mid-October, Deneb has replaced Vega as the zenith star
after dark (for sky-watchers at mid-northern latitudes) — and, accordingly,
Capricornus is replacing Sagittarius as the most notable constellation low in
the south.”3
References:
1,2The Revised And
Expanded Answers Book, Ken Ham, et. al., March , pgs 99-100.
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