This image provided by the Space
Telescope Science Institute, taken with the Hubble Space Telescope, shows a
hot, star-popping galaxy that is far, far away, farther than any previously
detected, from a time when the universe was a mere toddler of about 400 million
years old. (Space Telescope Science Institute via AP)
Question:
How does
the recent discovery of a galaxy 13.4 billion light years away—close in time to
the Big Bang approximately 14 billion years ago—fit the biblical creation model
of a universe only thousands of years old?
The
question that really needs to be asked is ‘How is this galaxy’s distance in
space and time measured?’
Astronomers
use a phenomenon called “redshift” to determine the age of distant stars,
quasars and galaxies. Redshift describes how light that shows up white-hot at
its source can appear to shift toward the cooler red hues of the light spectrum
as it travels over distance. You can see this phenomenon in your own fireplace.
The hottest temperature of the flame is in the white-blue color range at the
center, while the outer edges of the flame shift to yellow and red. That’s
“redshift.”
When
astronomers apply redshift to the vast distances in space, they assume that the shift represents a
universe that has been expanding away from the hot-zone of the Big Bang for
billions of years. The cooler the redshift, the farther away from the Big Bang.
While the Bible does not support a
Big Bang billions of years ago, it does
teach an expanding universe:
Is.
40:22b He stretches out the heavens like
a canopy, and spreads them out like a tent to live in.
In
addition, the Scripture teaches that all the heavenly bodies were created
simultaneously on day four and sent out into space from the relative position
of earth (Gen. 1:16-17). If this is true, then the evidence should support it.
According
to a 2010 study of over 900 quasars, estimating quasar age and distance by
their redshift often proved inconsistent with their actual known distance in
light years:
“Even though the distant quasars were
more strongly redshifted than the closer quasars, there was no difference in
the time it took the light to reach Earth. This quasar conundrum doesn't
seem to have an obvious explanation.”[1]
(Emphasis mine)
Therefore, “Redshift” cannot be used as an
accurate tool for determining the age of the universe. This newly discovered
galaxy may indeed be far, far away—even 13.4 billion light years away—but that
does not say anything about the age of the universe. When God instantaneously
“stretched” out the matter and energy of the universe to their present position
relative to the earth it caused light and radio waves to dramatically speed up
across space. That sped up process makes
it possible for us to see objects in space billions of light ears away. That
same process also distorts the effect
of redshift, making it an inaccurate tool for measuring the time it takes for
light to travel cosmic distances.
Ps. 8:1 LORD,
our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory in the
heavens.
[1] Quasars Quash Big Bang Assumptions,
Brian Thomas, M.S., ICR, April 29, 2010., quoting Zyga, L. Discovery that quasars don't show
time dilation mystifies astronomers. PhysOrg. Posted on
physorg.com April 9, 2010, reporting on research published in Hawkins, M. R. S.
On time dilation in quasar light curves. Monthly Notices of the Royal
Astronomical Society. Published online in advance of print April 9, 2010.
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