... Sarah Chaffee at Evolution News & Views cites astronomer Guillermo Gonzalez and philosopher Jay Richards, who argue that
our place in the cosmos is designed for discovery. That's the subtitle of their book,
"The Privileged Planet," in which they document how vital total solar eclipses are to science.
For example, these phenomena were key in validating Einstein's theory of relativity, which predicted that gravity bends light. By observing stars that are invisible except during an eclipse, astronomers were able to watch the sun bend their light, making them appear out of place in the sky, and confirming Einstein's prediction.
Eclipses were also how man first observed solar flares and coronal mass ejections on the surface of the sun. These phenomena are normally invisible to the naked eye, but appear briefly around the edges of the moon during an eclipse.
It turns out the conditions for this dazzling display
are incredibly rare. The moon has to be just the right size, orbiting a planet just the right distance from its host star. And it so happens that although the sun is 400 times bigger than the moon, it's also (coincidence?) 400 times further from us, meaning that the two objects appear roughly the same size in the sky. This allows the moon to block the sun in
precisely the right way for scientists to study the solar atmosphere.
And of course, all of these conditions must be met on a planet that also supports intelligent
life capable of appreciating the eclipse. The Earth, conclude Gonzalez and Richards, is
uniquely suited as an observatory for such astronomical wonders — almost as if it were designed for that purpose....
https://evolutionnews.org/2016/09/solar_eclipse_b/
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Great American Eclipse: A Teachable Moment
Evolution News | @DiscoveryCSC
August 2, 2017
https://evolutionnews.org/2017/08/gr...chable-moment/
Earth's moon has a rendezvous with history. The total solar eclipse coming to America on August 21 — the first one to cross the continental U.S. in 99 years —
will be the most watched, most studied eclipse in history. But do your friends, family and acquaintances appreciate the significance of these rare astronomical events? We want to help you with resources and information to make the Great American Eclipse a teachable moment about
design in nature.
Scientific materialists view the alignment of the earth, sun, and moon, with the near-perfect match of apparent diameters of the sun and the moon (despite their vast differences in size) as
just a coincidence — as indeed, they
must. It may actually be a coincidence. Design advocates, though, have the freedom to consider the evidence without being restricted to chance and natural law alone. Consider the following.
- By universal acclaim, total solar eclipses are fearsome and awesome phenomena, the most wondrous astronomical events that can be witnessed from the surface of the earth.
- The match is often so perfect, it permits views of the very thin chromosphere of the sun. The corona, otherwise swamped by sunlight, also gleams with brilliant light. These would not be possible if the moon were slightly larger.
- Many bodies in the solar system cast shadows on planets, but the earth is the only place in the solar system where a perfect match can (and does) occur.
- Earth is also the only location that has sentient observers who can appreciate eclipses.
- It was thought Saturn's little moon Prometheus might have a perfect match (for less than one second), but then it was discovered that Prometheus is potato shaped. That leaves earth alone.
- Major scientific advances have been made using total eclipses: among them, the discovery of helium, the identification of elements in the solar atmosphere, and confirmation of Einstein's theory of relativity.
- The predictability of eclipses both in time and location speaks to the precision of the "clockwork of the heavens," informing philosophers of science about the nature of "laws of nature." The onset and duration of an eclipse can be predicted down to the second for any point on the earth.
- Total eclipses have been invaluable for dating events in ancient history, resolving controversial theories about chronology and setting benchmarks for reliable dates and times.
- The factors that produce perfect eclipses are also closely related to the requirements for earth's habitability. This makes it less likely the alignment is mere coincidence.
- Total eclipses are temporary, because the moon is receding from the earth. Why should the alignment be perfect right when humans are present to enjoy them? ....
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Genesis 1:14-19
(14) And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night;
and let them be for signs, and for
seasons, and for
days, and
years:
(15) And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so.
(16) And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also.
(17) And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth,
(18) And to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness:
and God saw that it was good.
(19) And the evening and the morning were the fourth day.
Signs
Strong's
'o^th
oth
Probably from H225 (in the sense of appearing); a signal (literally or figuratively), as a flag, beacon, monument, omen, prodigy, evidence, etc.: - mark, miracle, (en-) sign, token.
BDB Definition:
1) sign, signal
1a) a distinguishing mark
1b) banner
1c) remembrance
1d) miraculous sign
1e) omen
1f) warning
2) token, ensign, standard, miracle, proof
Genesis 1:14 (AMP)
And God said, Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night,
and let them be signs and tokens [of God's provident care], and [to mark] seasons, days, and years, [Gen. 8:22.]
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Psalms 8:3-6 (AMP)
(3)
When I view and consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars,
which You have ordained and established,
(4) What is man that You are mindful of him, and the son of [earthborn] man that You care for him?
(5) Yet You have made him but a little lower than God [or heavenly beings], and You have crowned him with glory and honor.
(6) You made him to have dominion over the works of Your hands; You have put all things under his feet: [I Cor. 15:27; Eph. 1:22, 23; Heb. 2:6-8.]