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Are solar eclipses proof of God?

  

Category:  News & Politics

Via:  redding-shasta-jefferson-usa  •  7 years ago  •  435 comments

Are solar eclipses proof of God?
On Monday something will happen in the U.S. that should startle — or at least perplex — anyone who gives it any thought. I am referring to the full solar eclipse you may already be anticipating. To be clear, thinking about what is about to happen has little to do with the sheer visceral experience of being amazed by it, as we must be. Before thinking about it, we should perhaps first simply goggle at it, at the monumental majesty of these monstrously large heavenly orbs, both of which we typically take mostly for granted.


Is it not remarkable that these ever-present objects — though separated by nearly one hundred million miles — should once in a very great while perform this curiously perfect dance? But to what end?

So this sort of thing doesn’t happen anywhere else in our solar system. But our planet has just one moon that happens to be just the right size and just the right distance from Earth.

But what might make us start to think a bit about this event is that this celestial pas de deux is being performed only for us. Anywhere but here on this planet on Monday, the view of these two objects is nothing special. It is only what we see from our terrestrial vantage point that is special. It’s almost as though what we will marvel at was artfully arranged specifically for our benefit. Which brings us to the curious and startling part of the story.

About fifteen years ago an odd idea popped into my head. Google was just a gurgling infant. But I happened to have a sturdy Brittanica nearby and I pulled out a dusty volume and quickly discovered the diameter of the sun. It is precisely 864,576 miles. The diameter of the moon was listed at 2,159 miles. I then looked up the distance from Earth to the sun, which varies slightly, but is generally given as 93 million miles. And then I found the distance from Earth to the moon. That varies slightly too, so the average is given as 239,000 miles.

Armed with these four figures, I did some simple math. I divided the sun’s diameter (864,576) by the moon’s (2,159) and got 400.452. If my strange hunch was correct, dividing the distance from the Earth to the sun (93,000,000) by the distance from the Earth to the moon (239,000) should give me something similar. It certainly did. My calculations yielded 389.121. And there it was. I stared at the numbers, amazed. Was the correlation in these ratios mere coincidence?

Of course what this all meant was simply that these immemorially ancient and vast objects, though as different in size as a single BB and a super gigantic beach ball — one that was over six feet in diameter — would from our perspective here on Earth seem almost precisely the same size. So if they ever just happened to align in the sky, they would match up perfectly. Not almost perfectly. But perfectly, and bizarrely so.


What might be the odds of this just happening randomly? Almost all the planets in our solar system have no moons or many moons (Jupiter has 60) of incredibly varying sizes. So this sort of thing doesn’t happen anywhere else in our solar system. But our planet has just one moon that happens to be just the right size and just the right distance from Earth.

I found the precision necessary for all of this unbelievable. The more I thought about it, the more I knew that there was no way this could be a mere coincidence. It seemed almost planned. In fact, it seemed utterly planned, as all things of such precision must be.

To bring this closer to home, imagine holding a BB twelve inches from our face and then asking a friend to carry the six-foot diameter beach ball as far down the beach as necessary — until it appeared precisely the same size from our perspective as the tiny BB. Keep in mind our beach ball is six-feet in diameter while a normal large beach ball is less than two feet in diameter. Our friend would have to hike 400 feet before the giant beach ball and the tiny BB matched up in size. That’s about the distance from home plate to the centerfield fence in most major league baseball stadiums.

So can the sun’s and moon’s diameters — and distances from Earth — be merely coincidentally matched up this perfectly? Everything about it makes that seem ridiculous. But of course you can decide for yourself.

Three thousand years ago a man in Israel wrote: “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.” That man didn’t have a telescope or a Brittanica, but he saw something many of us today still do not see. He saw a God behind it all. It may be true that seeing a Grand Designer behind these breath-taking events requires what we call a leap of faith; but it may also be true that seeing mere coincidence behind them requires an even greater leap of faith. In my mind, much greater. But on Monday, you may be the judge. http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2017/08/20/are-solar-eclipses-proof-god.html

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XXJefferson51
Senior Guide
link   seeder  XXJefferson51    7 years ago

"Three thousand years ago a man in Israel wrote: “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.” That man didn’t have a telescope or a Brittanica, but he saw something many of us today still do not see. He saw a God behind it all. It may be true that seeing a Grand Designer behind these breath-taking events requires what we call a leap of faith; but it may also be true that seeing mere coincidence behind them requires an even greater leap of faith"

 
 
 
Gordy327
Professor Expert
link   Gordy327  replied to  XXJefferson51   7 years ago

How poetic. But still just a belief based on an assumption and an appeal to ignorance.

 
 
 
XXJefferson51
Senior Guide
link   seeder  XXJefferson51    7 years ago

"Three thousand years ago a man in Israel wrote: “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.” That man didn’t have a telescope or a Brittanica, but he saw something many of us today still do not see. He saw a God behind it all. It may be true that seeing a Grand Designer behind these breath-taking events requires what we call a leap of faith; but it may also be true that seeing mere coincidence behind them requires an even greater leap of faith"

 
 
 
JohnRussell
Professor Principal
link   JohnRussell    7 years ago

yes xx, they are "proof of god"

 
 
 
Ozzwald
Professor Quiet
link   Ozzwald  replied to  JohnRussell   7 years ago

Fake, Fake, FAKE!  They're not wearing their medically approved eclipse glasses!

 
 
 
Hal A. Lujah
Professor Guide
link   Hal A. Lujah    7 years ago

Wow, really compelling stuff here.  crazy

Sure - there's a god, and it cares more about planetary diameters than starving children.

 
 
 
JohnRussell
Professor Principal
link   JohnRussell  replied to  Hal A. Lujah   7 years ago

If earth had 15 moons , and only one of them lined up with the sun, what would be proved then?

The "question' posed in the article is like asking why do we breathe oxygen instead of nitrogen. It is what it is.

 
 
 
Hal A. Lujah
Professor Guide
link   Hal A. Lujah  replied to  JohnRussell   7 years ago

It's like saying that the fact that water is wet is proof of god.  Or like saying that we have free will, and since the bible says god gave it to us then our free will proves god exists.  tough guy

 
 
 
Gordy327
Professor Expert
link   Gordy327  replied to  Hal A. Lujah   7 years ago

Or like saying that we have free will, and since the bible says god gave it to us then our free will proves god exists.

I've heard that argument before too. Don't you just love circular logic?

 
 
 
Krishna
Professor Expert
link   Krishna  replied to  Hal A. Lujah   7 years ago

Sure - there's a god, and it cares more about planetary diameters than starving children.

Just an observation Hal-- I could be wromng. it seems that everything elicits a judgemental reaction from you-- that you place a judgement on everyhting-- judging whether or not it is politically correct (by your standards) or not.

Not that there's anything wrong with that..

But perhaps a cigar isn't always a phallic symbol.. perhaps sometimes its merely a damn good smoke! :-)

 
 
 
321steve - realistically thinkin or Duu
Sophomore Guide
link   321steve - realistically thinkin or Duu     7 years ago

GOD to me is the power/ the force/ the being/ the whatever that arranged all the atoms to be the sky, the earth, the rocks, the sun, the animals, us, and everything we can think of to be what they are and to work together the way they do. Everything is (made up of atoms) Whatever arranged the atoms to be what they are is what I call my GOD.

I dont need a eclipse to appreciate the creation or the creator

 
 
 
PJ
Masters Quiet
link   PJ    7 years ago

**Enoch - please do NOT READ - skip over this comment**

The only way I would consider that God exists is if Trump is impeached.  Then and only then would you hear me say "There is a God after all".  chuckle  

 

 
 
 
JohnRussell
Professor Principal
link   JohnRussell  replied to  PJ   7 years ago

Good one PJ.

 
 
 
Hal A. Lujah
Professor Guide
link   Hal A. Lujah  replied to  PJ   7 years ago

That would only bring me around to the believe that common sense exists.

 
 
 
Dowser
Sophomore Quiet
link   Dowser    7 years ago

Not looking for proof that God exists, since I feel that he does.  I really like watching stuff like this, though-- it makes me feel a kinship with all of humanity that's gone before.  It just is.  A celestial event.  I can't change it, fix it, move it, or do anything with it, other than enjoy it.  It doesn't take a larger meaning for me to be in awe of it...

 
 
 
Raven Wing
Professor Guide
link   Raven Wing  replied to  Dowser   7 years ago

I for one don't need an eclipse to make me think there is a Creator, all I have to do is look around me every day. (smile)

 
 
 
magnoliaave
Sophomore Quiet
link   magnoliaave  replied to  Raven Wing   7 years ago

I like you.

 
 
 
Raven Wing
Professor Guide
link   Raven Wing  replied to  magnoliaave   7 years ago

I like you too, Magnoliaave. I enjoy our conversations. (smile)

 
 
 
magnoliaave
Sophomore Quiet
link   magnoliaave  replied to  Raven Wing   7 years ago

Thank you.  I have my moments, particularly, about the South and my belief in God.  You just take of yourself and always keep a candle in the window.

 
 
 
Raven Wing
Professor Guide
link   Raven Wing  replied to  magnoliaave   7 years ago

Magnoliaave, I understand what you mean. We must all face that which is put before us. It is how we face it that defines who we are. Not the people who try to influence our life and/or our beliefs. 

We are all connected.

 
 
 
magnoliaave
Sophomore Quiet
link   magnoliaave  replied to  Raven Wing   7 years ago

Thank you.  I have my moments, particularly, about the South and my belief in God.  You just take of yourself and always keep a candle in the window.

 
 
 
Gordy327
Professor Expert
link   Gordy327    7 years ago

Are solar eclipses proof of God?

In a word, no!

 

 
 
 
Raven Wing
Professor Guide
link   Raven Wing    7 years ago

I'm sitting here at 10:19 am PST looking out my window and seeing it getting dimmer and dimmer outside. I live east of the Los Angeles area in So Calif so we will only get a partial 62% eclipse here. When I first woke this morning it was bright sunshine with clear skies, so what I am seeing is indeed a result of the partial eclipse effect. It will peak here in about 1 minute. 

 
 
 
Raven Wing
Professor Guide
link   Raven Wing  replied to  Raven Wing   7 years ago

It is once again bright and sunny out. That didn't take long. (grin)

 
 
 
magnoliaave
Sophomore Quiet
link   magnoliaave  replied to  Raven Wing   7 years ago

We had nothing, but rain.

 
 
 
Raven Wing
Professor Guide
link   Raven Wing  replied to  magnoliaave   7 years ago

Magnoliaave, according to the weather when I checked it mid-afternoon yesterday it was supposed to be cloudy here today, but, for some reason the sun was brightly shinning when I woke up this morning. Looks like the weatherman missed another one. (grin) 

 
 
 
magnoliaave
Sophomore Quiet
link   magnoliaave  replied to  Raven Wing   7 years ago

Funny, we were supposed to have had partly sunny.

 
 
 
Raven Wing
Professor Guide
link   Raven Wing  replied to  magnoliaave   7 years ago

LOL! Looks like our weathermen need to go back for a refresher course on predictions. (grin)

 
 
 
JohnRussell
Professor Principal
link   JohnRussell    7 years ago

People in Chicago are going to be disappointed it appears. Overcast and the sun is not out. 80% eclipse occurs in a half an hour.

 
 
 
Pedro
Professor Participates
link   Pedro    7 years ago

Definitely proof of the sun and moon.

 
 
 
Hal A. Lujah
Professor Guide
link   Hal A. Lujah  replied to  Pedro   7 years ago

I've always said that I have infinitely more respect for sun worshiping pagans than monotheists.  At least they can see and feel what they are worshiping, and know for a fact that they wouldn't exist without it.

 
 
 
JohnRussell
Professor Principal
link   JohnRussell    7 years ago

WGN tv coverage has shown weatherman Tom Skilling repeatedly looking up at the sun during the eclipse without his glasses on, lol.

Other people at his location in Carbondale Il also.

 
 
 
Kavika
Professor Principal
link   Kavika     7 years ago

The eclipse 96% reached us at 1:14....Awesome.

 
 
 
Krishna
Professor Expert
link   Krishna    7 years ago

No.

Solar are eclipses are not proof that God exists. In fact, since everything goes dark for a period, they are proof that the Son of Darkness exists-- yes, the Devil Himself! (Peace be Upon Him).

Devil Tarot Card Meanings tarot card meaning

 
 
 
magnoliaave
Sophomore Quiet
link   magnoliaave  replied to  Krishna   7 years ago

Good Lord......go away~

 
 
 
JohnRussell
Professor Principal
link   JohnRussell    7 years ago

I watched the total eclipse on television from Carbondale Il and the coolest part about it was when the sun started to come back out. It looked like creation.

That part was awe inspiring.

 
 
 
user image
Freshman Silent
link       7 years ago

 
 
 
Pedro
Professor Participates
link   Pedro  replied to    7 years ago

That is a great picture.

 
 
 
user image
Freshman Silent
link     replied to  Pedro   7 years ago

08/21/17 08:44:42PM @peter-asks-for-no-more-cheetolini-would-like-a-revote:

Thank you that it is, and it fulfils Romans 1:18-26 

Here is part of it  .. 19 since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. 20 For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse

Now, do you care to know what on Earth Makes it possible for OUR Sun, not to be a " Killer Sun "?

 
 
 
Pedro
Professor Participates
link   Pedro  replied to    7 years ago

 

For the record, I will not ever give a shit about fake gods or their quaint mythology outside of being an abstract curiosity. You really couldn't just accept the compliment, ay?

 
 
 
user image
Freshman Silent
link     replied to  Pedro   7 years ago

08/21/17 09:15:07PM @peter-asks-for-no-more-cheetolini-would-like-a-revote:

LOL   I see so you compliment without comprehension, nor a desire to look at the possibilities, and I am at Fault??

                                       laughing dudelaughing dudelaughing dudelaughing dudelaughing dudelaughing dude

 

 

By The way. what is the TITTLE of the seed? does it have a postulation? a Question?

 
 
 
Pedro
Professor Participates
link   Pedro  replied to    7 years ago

Yes. It was a simple compliment. You should simply have taken it. I'll know better in the future.

 
 
 
user image
Freshman Silent
link     replied to    7 years ago

http://photobucket.com/gallery/http://s220.photobucket.com/user/Eagle_Averro/media/universeText.jpg.html?sort=6&o=12&ref=1

 
" Hawking and His God "
 
Description

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE6816EI20100902 So who would like to tell me " what went BANG when nothing existed? When did Gravity start.. before there was Nothing or after nothing came to be? How Do Protoplanets Form..with Gravity and without it? If NONE know the answers to the above questions... then is it not all a " mater of Faith" :-)

 
 
 
Pedro
Professor Participates
link   Pedro  replied to    7 years ago

Jesus Fucking Christ.

Classic.

 
 
 
JohnRussell
Professor Principal
link   JohnRussell  replied to    7 years ago

There is no such thing as something coming from nothing . It is not possible except as a supernatural event , which introduces God.

 
 
 
sandy-2021492
Professor Expert
link   sandy-2021492  replied to  JohnRussell   7 years ago

God of the gaps.

 
 
 
TᵢG
Professor Principal
link   TᵢG  replied to  JohnRussell   7 years ago

@Johnrussell :   There is no such thing as something coming from nothing . It is not possible except as a supernatural event , which introduces God.

If it is a supernatural event then something did not actually come from nothing.   The supernatural ' force ' would be something .  Also, supernatural simply refers to that is beyond our understanding of natural.   Over time, as our knowledge expands, that which was  considered supernatural is now natural.

Generally speaking, if we are to hold to the meaning of English words, it is semantically (by definition) impossible for something to come from nothing.  

 
 
 
user image
Freshman Silent
link     replied to  JohnRussell   7 years ago

08/21/17 10:56:10PM @johnrussell:

 

laughing dudelaughing dude  That says Heaps!!!    about the comprehension of what the Big Bang!! Is all about,,,, well done 

                                                                                                                                                   laughing dudelaughing dude

And to think that I mention Entropy!!!

 

 
 
 
magnoliaave
Sophomore Quiet
link   magnoliaave    7 years ago

Sir, do you know how much it means  that you responded to me? 

I miss him, oh, so much.  I wish you could have known him.  Fate plays such a hand in things or is it Fate?  20 years prior, I appeared as a guest on his noon day tv show in N.O.  Lo and behold, we moved to AL and we met once, again, at a party.  The four of us became instant friends.....he, his wife, my husband and I. 

Three months ago, his wife died.  Memories of the four of us who shared everything.

God Bless You.

 
 
 
Pedro
Professor Participates
link   Pedro    7 years ago

DHxELn8VYAAArdA.jpg DHxELn8VYAAArdA.jpg

 
 
 
Buzz of the Orient
Professor Expert
link   Buzz of the Orient    7 years ago

"Are solar eclipses proof of God?"

No more than the pimple on my ass.

 
 
 
Pedro
Professor Participates
link   Pedro  replied to  Buzz of the Orient   7 years ago

Ummm....TMI?

:)

 
 
 
Buzz of the Orient
Professor Expert
link   Buzz of the Orient  replied to  Pedro   7 years ago

Sorry, Peter, but I'm incompetent when it comes to decyphering acronyms.

 

 
 
 
Pedro
Professor Participates
link   Pedro  replied to  Buzz of the Orient   7 years ago

TMI means Too Much Information. :)

 
 
 
Buzz of the Orient
Professor Expert
link   Buzz of the Orient  replied to  Pedro   7 years ago

In your case, TMI means "Too Much Imagination".  LOL

 
 
 
Pedro
Professor Participates
link   Pedro  replied to  Buzz of the Orient   7 years ago

Ha!

You're probably right about that.

 
 
 
user image
Freshman Silent
link       7 years ago

NOTE::   Watch the " Baiters " that Trawl, not for knowledge nor communication, but only to Deride!!!!!

Watch how the same ones, time after time post  seemingly " questions " about " God " to only show " what really shines within themselves "!!!

 
 
 
sandy-2021492
Professor Expert
link   sandy-2021492  replied to    7 years ago

There is no knowledge to be gained here, unless it is knowledge of the depths to which some folks will sink to delude themselves and attempt to delude others.

 
 
 
user image
Freshman Silent
link       7 years ago

Hawking and His God photo universeText.jpg 

 
 
 
JohnRussell
Professor Principal
link   JohnRussell  replied to    7 years ago

The words are illegible.

 
 
 
user image
Freshman Silent
link     replied to  JohnRussell   7 years ago

08/21/17 11:05:32PM @johnrussell:
 "" So who would like to tell me " what went BANG when nothing existed? When did Gravity start.. before there was Nothing or after nothing came to be? How Do Protoplanets Form..with Gravity and without it? If NONE know the answers to the above questions... then is it not all a " mater of Faith" :-)  ""

It also mentions " Energetica Eternalis "  ie: Energy can never created Nor destroyed but only transform from one state to another " See Entropy and what meaning that has in THIS context

 
 
 
Jeremy Retired in NC
Professor Expert
link   Jeremy Retired in NC    7 years ago

Three thousand years ago a man in Israel wrote: “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.” That man didn’t have a telescope or a Brittanica, but he saw something many of us today still do not see. He saw a God behind it all.

Like many things 3000 years ago, they didn't have the knowledge or technology we have today so many things were attributed to a god.  Even going back farther the ancient Egyptians did the same with their, around 1500 different gods.

Good article nonetheless. 

 
 
 
1ofmany
Sophomore Silent
link   1ofmany    7 years ago

An interesting debate on God.

 
 
 
Krishna
Professor Expert
link   Krishna    7 years ago

Just checked-- 184 comments.

And yet there are those over at NV who incessantly attempt to mock us...

I pity the fools!!!

 
 
 
Krishna
Professor Expert
link   Krishna  replied to  Krishna   7 years ago

Sure - there's a god, and it cares more about planetary diameters than starving children.

Just an observation Hal-- I could be wromng. it seems that everything elicits a judgemental reaction from you-- that you place a judgement on everyhting-- judging whether or not it is politically correct (by your standards) or not.

Not that there's anything wrong with that..

But perhaps a cigar isn't always a phallic symbol.. perhaps sometimes its merely a damn good smoke! :-)

 
 
 
Sister Mary Agnes Ample Bottom
Professor Guide
link   Sister Mary Agnes Ample Bottom  replied to  Krishna   7 years ago

But perhaps a cigar isn't always a phallic symbol.. perhaps sometimes its merely a damn good smoke!

Damn skippy!

On the other hand, *note to self*  Return the autographed box of cigars Bill Clinton sent me 'cause...yikes. 

 
 
 
Pedro
Professor Participates
link   Pedro  replied to  Krishna   7 years ago

Sometimes it is far too moist before you smoke it though, and perhaps even with an unusual glaze coating it.

 
 
 
sandy-2021492
Professor Expert
link   sandy-2021492  replied to  Pedro   7 years ago

Ew. 

 
 
 
sandy-2021492
Professor Expert
link   sandy-2021492  replied to  Krishna   7 years ago

And yet there are those over at NV who incessantly attempt to mock us...

Yes, the mocking only goes one way /s

 
 
 
Krishna
Professor Expert
link   Krishna  replied to  sandy-2021492   7 years ago

And yet there are those over at NV who incessantly attempt to mock us...

Yes, the mocking only goes one way /s

No one said the mocking only goes one way!

 
 
 
sandy-2021492
Professor Expert
link   sandy-2021492  replied to  Krishna   7 years ago

I only see one person calling those at NV who criticize this site "fools".

 
 
 
JohnRussell
Professor Principal
link   JohnRussell  replied to  sandy-2021492   7 years ago

What is the point of all this?

 

I wish they would close the thread.

When they go on and on like this only bad things happen.

 
 
 
Krishna
Professor Expert
link   Krishna  replied to  sandy-2021492   7 years ago

I only see one person calling those at NV who criticize this site "fools".

That's because you need to expand your horizons. Go over to NV and you'll see several there calling those of us at NT..even worse things!

Oh-- the horror!

 
 
 
sandy-2021492
Professor Expert
link   sandy-2021492  replied to  Krishna   7 years ago

Is this relevant to the topic at all?  Why did you feel it necessary to bash Newsvine out of the blue?

 
 
 
sandy-2021492
Professor Expert
link   sandy-2021492  replied to  Krishna   7 years ago

Also, this is more of the crap that we told you on NV is not helping your cause for recruiting members here.

 
 
 
Perrie Halpern R.A.
Professor Principal
link   Perrie Halpern R.A.  replied to  sandy-2021492   7 years ago

Sandy, what is this in regards to? I have no reference point for this discussion. 

 
 
 
sandy-2021492
Professor Expert
link   sandy-2021492  replied to  Perrie Halpern R.A.   7 years ago

Krishna's comment 

Just checked-- 184 comments.

And yet there are those over at NV who incessantly attempt to mock us...

I pity the fools!!!

This setting up one against the other isn't showing NT's best face, Perrie.  Frankly, this was an entirely off-topic bash on those that NT wants to recruit, or those who are reluctant to be recruited.

 
 
 
user image
Freshman Silent
link     replied to  Perrie Halpern R.A.   7 years ago

Beware of " -----  Bearing Gifts " :-)

 
 
 
Krishna
Professor Expert
link   Krishna  replied to    7 years ago

What sort of Geeks are bringing gifts?

 
 
 
XXJefferson51
Senior Guide
link   seeder  XXJefferson51  replied to  Krishna   7 years ago

Comment removed for content [ph]

 
 
 
XXJefferson51
Senior Guide
link   seeder  XXJefferson51  replied to  Krishna   7 years ago

"

Perfect Eclipses: Coincidence or Conspiracy?

 

557112

By JAY RICHARDSAugust 14, 2017 • 16 Comments

On August 21st, we Americans get to see a total solar eclipse. As I mentioned in my previous piece, we can see solar eclipses only because our planet, our Moon and our Sun sometimes come together in a straight line in space. When the Moon passes between the Sun and Earth, those in the Moon’s shadow see an eclipse.

But the story doesn’t end there. A rare alignment of events allows Earthlings to witness not just solar eclipses, but what we might call perfect solar eclipses. Our Moon just barely covers the Sun’s bright photosphere. Such an eclipse depends on just the right sizes, shapes, and relative distances of the Sun, Moon and Earth.

There’s no law of physics that dictates this layout. There are 65 major moons in our Solar System, and many smaller ones. But only we enjoy perfect solar eclipses. If there were Martians or Uranians, they wouldn’t see such eclipses.

The Moon is about 400 times smaller than the Sun. But the Moon is also about 400 times closer to the Earth than is the Sun. As a result, the size of the Moon on our sky matches the size of the Sun. And since they appear as round disks, they match in both size and shape.

What’s more, the tight match between Moon and Sun only happens during a narrow window of Earth’s history. The Moon is slowly moving away from Earth — at roughly the same speed that fingernails grow.

In brief, the best time and place to view total solar eclipses in our Solar System is just when and where there are observers to see them.

Let that sink in.

What Life Needs

Most astronomers chalk this up to coincidence. But there’s more to the story.

As it happens, this precise arrangement of Earth, Moon and Sun helps sustain life on Earth. Let me explain.

Evidence for Recent Liquid Water on Mars: Gullies in Crater Wall, Noachis TerraNASA

Evidence for Recent Liquid Water on Mars: Gullies in Crater Wall, Noachis Terra

For lots of reasons, a planet almost surely needs liquid wateron its surface to host complex life. Most places in the Solar System, and in the universe, are either way too hot or way too cold. To be “habitable,” a planet needs to be in the “Goldilocks Zone” around its star: where it’s not too hot and not too cold. Think of this zone as a narrow, nearly circular ring of space around a star.

The Earth is, of course, safely inside the zone. But how narrow is it? To figure that out, we need only look at our closest planetary neighbors. Mars is beyond the outer edge of this zone. It’s cold and lifeless. Venus is outside the inner edge of the zone. It’s over 850 degrees F on its surface. Apparently, there’s not a lot of wiggle room. If Goldilocks were a planet, she would be a fussy little princess.

The Moon also plays a role in keeping Earth habitable. A large, well-placed moon stabilizes the tilt of the axis of its host planet. That gives the planet a more stable climate. The Moon also contributes to Earth’s ocean tides, which helps mix nutrients from the land to the oceans. The two moons around Mars — probably captured asteroids — are much too small to stabilize its rotation axis. As a result, Mars wobbles on its axis far more than the Earth does. That’s bad news for Martians.

It’s Good for Science Too

Our ability to observe perfect solar eclipses has played a key role in several important scientific discoveries.

Now put these two facts together.

  1. When a planet, like Earth, is in the cozy, life-friendly zone around a star, that star will appear to be a certain size in its sky.
  2. A habitable planet like Earth needs to have a stabilizing Moon of a certain size in its sky.

Not just “certain” apparent sizes, but nearly the sameapparent sizes. Hence, the Sun appears to be about the same size as the Moon from Earth’s surface. As a result, we enjoy perfect solar eclipses.

Wait. Two different ingredients for building a habitable planet produce perfect eclipses for observers on that planet? That seems fishy.

But here’s the part that (when linked to other evidence) suggests conspiracy rather than coincidence. Our ability to observe perfect solar eclipses has played a key role in several major scientific discoveries. Those discoveries would have been hard, if not impossible, to make on the much more common planets that don’t enjoy such eclipses.

What Stars Are

First, eclipses helped us unlock the mystery of stars. Scientists since Isaac Newton (1666) had known that sunlight splits into all the colors of the rainbow when passed through a prism.

The beginning and end of totality present your best opportunities to examine the thin middle layer of the Sun's atmosphere, called the chromosphere. It shines in the ruby-red light of hydrogen gas heated to more than 20,000° Celsius (36,000° Fahrenheit). Also visible just beyond the Moon's silhouette are solar prominences: brilliant red arcs, loops, and jets of hot gas propelled by the explosive release of the Sun's magnetic energy.Robert B. Slobins

The beginning and end of totality present your best opportunities to examine the thin middle layer of the Sun’s atmosphere, called the chromosphere. It shines in the ruby-red light of hydrogen gas heated to more than 20,000° Celsius (36,000° Fahrenheit). Also visible just beyond the Moon’s silhouette are solar prominences: brilliant red arcs, loops, and jets of hot gas propelled by the explosive release of the Sun’s magnetic energy.

But only in the 19th century did astronomers observe solar eclipses with spectroscopes, which use prisms. This allowed them to discover how the Sun’s light is produced. It also allowed them to figure out the structure of the Sun itself. Since the Sun looks larger from the Earth than from any other planet with a moon, we can discern finer details in the Sun’s chromosphere and corona than we could from any other planet.

This knowledge, in turn, enabled astronomers to make sense of the light from the distant stars.

So, in a sense, perfect eclipses were a key that unlocked the field of astrophysics.

Einstein’s Prediction

In the early twentieth century, Albert Einstein predicted, in his General Theory of Relativity, that light passing near a massive object like the Sun would be visibly bent. To test his theory, astronomers needed to measure the changes in the positions of starlight passing near the Sun’s edge compared to their positions months later when the Sun was in another part of the sky.

But have you ever tried to look at starlight right next to the edge of the Sun? Probably not. The test could only be done during a total solar eclipse. That’s why, during the 1919 solar eclipse, two teams of astronomers, one led by Sir Arthur Eddington, set out to confirm Einstein’s theory.

They succeeded, as did other astronomers during later eclipses. This led to the general acceptance of Einstein’s theory. And that theory is the basis of modern cosmology.

Ancient Calendars

Finally, perfect eclipses give us unique access to ancient history. By studying historical records of past solar eclipses, astronomers can calculate the change in Earth’s rotation over the past several thousand years. This, in turn, allows us to align ancient calendars with modern calendars.

This is just one example of an eerie pattern we discuss in detail in The Privileged Planet: life-friendly places like Earth are also the best places, over all, for doing science.

So, when you’re viewing the eclipse on August 21st, remember: The One who gives us life gives us insight into the universe as well.

 https://stream.org/perfect-eclipses-coincidence-or-conspiracy/

 

 
 
 
sixpick
Professor Quiet
link   sixpick    7 years ago

 
 
 
sandy-2021492
Professor Expert
link   sandy-2021492    7 years ago

So, my 13-year-old son, who is home today sick with strep, walked by and read this headline over my shoulder and laughed.  He said "That's stupid.  It's like saying that hurricanes are proof of Poseidon."

There ya go.

 
 
 
Larry Hampton
Professor Participates
link   Larry Hampton    7 years ago

Again, we have proof that the sun, moon and earth exist; and, sometimes they pass shadows.

Why does sacredness require divinity?

Why does purpose need the supernatural?

Everything we experience begins and ends with nature; and, we still know fully squat about our planet as evinced by the way we disrespect it and it's inhabitants. We believe that our superior intellect and ability to manipulate nature (technology) gives the green light to any desire; completely ignoring the truth behind the horrors created instead, failing to learn from our own history.

Let me hit you with that one question. Is it possible for purpose to exists without some sort of "god"?

This is one interesting tidbit that raises, at least imho, many more points about purpose,,,

 

 

The mystery, beauty, and sacredness of earth and the relationships of all it's beings is everything.

 
 
 
Krishna
Professor Expert
link   Krishna  replied to  Larry Hampton   7 years ago

temp_ning_photo_file.jpg

Langston's Aunt-- is that anything like Avogadros number?

 
 
 
Larry Hampton
Professor Participates
link   Larry Hampton  replied to  Krishna   7 years ago

Lol!

Similar yet not as tasty.

;^)

 
 
 
321steve - realistically thinkin or Duu
Sophomore Guide
link   321steve - realistically thinkin or Duu     7 years ago

This vine is  like the obsessive compulsive uncle that stops by and stays for days, every time you turn around here he is again. lol

 

 
 

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