Solar system
From CreationWiki, the encyclopedia of creation science
The solar system is an aggregation of the sun and the planetary bodies orbiting it such as the eight (formerly nine) planets, three dwarf planets, about 160 known planetary satellites (moons), and countless asteroids. The solar system also consists of many various icy bodies, and vast amounts of nebula, gas and dust known as the interplanetary medium.[1]
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Properties and Characteristics
The sun is the closest star to Earth and is the most prominent star of our solar system. Four out of the eight planets, Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars are called the terrestrial planets because they have solid rocky surfaces. They are also closest to the sun. Beyond the orbit of Mars lie Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune, the gas giants of our solar system. The furthest and smallest once considered planet Pluto is solid as ice when compared to the terrestrial planets.[2]
From Nine to Eight
- Main Article: Planet
On August 24, 2006, the International Astronomical Union (IAU) formally downgraded Pluto from an official planet of our solar system to a mere dwarf planet. This occurred following the discovery of Eris, a scatter-disk object heavier even than Pluto but which, like Pluto, had not cleared its neighborhood of debris. There are now eight official planets of our solar system according to the IAU.[3] The dwarf planet class includes Eris, Pluto, and the former asteroid Ceres, which is at least large enough to collapse under its own weight into a spheroid.
Solar System Formation
- Main Article: Nebula hypothesis
According to Genesis the solar system and laws to govern it were created during the 4th day of creation along with other celestial bodies.
14 And God said, "Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark seasons and days and years, 15 and let them be lights in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth." And it was so. 16 God made two great lights—the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars. 17 God set them in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth, 18 to govern the day and the night, and to separate light from darkness. And God saw that it was good. 19 And there was evening, and there was morning—the fourth day. Genesis 1:14-19 (NIV)
On the first day of the creation week God said, "Let there be light." On the fourth day He said, "Let there be lights." Culminations of mass came together on the fourth day at God's command to form the "two great lights"—the sun and the moon. These were to be signs to mark seasons, days and years. The fact that there were seasons in this early period of the universe means the earth must have had an inclination at its axis from the beginning--another problem for uniformitarian theories.
God then arranged other suns (the stars) in massive numbers throughout the universe. He even gave names to the stars and constellations (Job 38:31-33 ; Isaiah 40:26 ).
A day means a day
- Main Article: Days of Creation
That God gave light-giving functions to the sun and moon half-way through Creation Week shows a problem for the day-age theory. Plant life appeared on earth only one day before the sun, which seemingly would cause problems for the plants if each day was an "age", and the plants had to wait for another "age" before they got light.
News
- Mystery of extrasolar planets' eccentric orbits - evidence suggests that, as far as planetary systems go, our solar system might be special indeed. April 19, 2005
- Maybe evolution didn't tune our universe after all New Scientist January 6, 2007
References
- ↑ Arnett, Bill. "An Overview of the Solar System." The
Nine8 Planets, August 25, 2005. Accessed March 10, 2008. - ↑ "Our Solar System." NASA. Accessed March 10, 2008.
- ↑ "The Final IAU Resolution on the definition of "planet" ready for voting." International Astronomical Union, August 24, 2006. Accessed March 10, 2008.
Related Links
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See Also
| The Solar System | ||
| Star | Sol | |
| Planets | Vulcan • Mercury • Venus • Earth • Mars • Jupiter • Saturn • Uranus • Neptune | |
| Dwarf Planets | Ceres • Pluto • Eris | |
| Asteroid Belt | Major asteroids • C-type asteroids • S-type asteroids • M-type asteroids | |
| Trans-Neptunian Objects | Kuiper belt • Scatter disk • Oort cloud • Nemesis | |
| Moons | Terrestrial • Martian • Jovian • Saturnine • Uranian • Neptunian • Plutonian • Eridian | |
| Featured moons | Moon • Phobos • Deimos • Io • Europa • Ganymede • Callisto • Mimas • Enceladus • Tethys • Dione • Rhea • Titan • Hyperion • Iapetus • Miranda • Ariel • Umbriel • Titania • Oberon • Triton • Nereid • Charon • Nix • Hydra • Dysnomia |
