Big Bang Theory In Tune With Creation History

Fr. Funes said that as an astronomer and a Catholic, he is open to this explanation of the creation of the universe, despite "some yet unanswered questions."

The director of the Vatican Observatory said that the Church is open to the scientific theory that the world began from a cosmic explosion billions of years ago.

"The Big Bang is not in contradiction with the faith, " Father Jose Gabriel Funes said during a Feb. 2 announcement of a Vatican exhibit that will feature photos, research tools and minerals from the Moon and Mars.

The exhibit titled "Stories from another world: The Universe within us and outside us," will be on display March 10 – July 1 in Pisa, the birthplace of Galileo, the father of modern astronomy.

Fr. Josè Funes SJ, director of the Vatican Observatory. Wikipedia

Fr. Funes told CNA at the event that the Big Bang explanation "is the best theory we have right now about the creation of the universe."

The theory holds that creation began some 14 billion years ago with a colossal explosion in which space, time, energy and matter were created, and galaxies, stars and planets – which are in continual expansion – came to be.

"We know that God is the creator," he added, "that He is a good Father who has a providential plan for us, that we are his children, and that we everything we can learn by reason about the origin of the universe is not in contradiction with the religious message of the Bible."

Fr. Funes said that as an astronomer and a Catholic, he is open to this explanation of the creation of the universe, despite "some yet unanswered questions."

He noted, for example, that while there is no proof of other intelligent life in the universe, "we cannot rule it out," since studies show that there are nearly 700 planets orbiting other stars.

"If in the future it was established that life, and intelligent life, exists, which I think would be very difficult, I don't think this contradicts the religious message of creation because they would also be creatures of God," he said.

Ultimately, Catholics "should see the cosmos as a gift of God" and should "admire the beauty that exists in the universe."

"This beauty we see in some way leads us to the beauty of the creator," he said.

"And also, because God has granted us intelligence and reason, we can find the logos, that rational explanation that exists in the universe that allows us to engage in science as well."

The Church's official interest in astronomy dates back to the 16th century. In 1891, Pope Leo XIII decided to officially create the Vatican Observatory to show that the Church is not against scientific development, but rather promotes it.

Since then, the Vatican Observatory has operated out of Castel Gandolfo and uses a telescope located in Tuscon, Arizona, for research. Source: Catholic News Agency

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Alien Planets With Two Suns Commonplace

Can double systems have a stable solar system?

Astronomers using NASA's Kepler mission have discovered two new circumbinary planet systems – planets that orbit two stars, like Tatooine in the movie Star Wars. Their find, which brings the number of known circumbinary planets to three, shows that planets with two suns must be common, with many millions existing in our Galaxy.

"Once again, we're seeing science fact catching up with science fiction," said co-author Josh Carter of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics.

The two new planets, named Kepler-34b and Kepler-35b, are both gaseous Saturn-size planets. Kepler-34b orbits its two Sun-like stars every 289 days, and the stars themselves orbit each other every 28 days. Kepler-35b revolves around a pair of smaller stars (80 and 89 percent of the Sun's mass) every 131 days, and the stars orbit one another every 21 days. Both systems reside in the constellation Cygnus the Swan, with Kepler-34 located 4,900 light-years from Earth and Kepler-35 at a distance of 5,400 light-years.

Circumbinary planets have two suns, not just one, and due to the orbital motion of the stars, the amount of energy the planet receives varies greatly. This changing energy flow could produce wildly varying climates.

"It would be like cycling through all four seasons many times per year, with huge temperature changes," explained Welsh. "The effects of these climate swings on the atmospheric dynamics, and ultimately on the evolution of life on habitable circumbinary planets, is a fascinating topic that we are just beginning to explore."

The Kepler team announced the first circumbinary planet, Kepler-16b, last September. Like Kepler-16b, these new planets also transit (eclipse) their host stars, which is how Kepler spotted them. When only Kepler-16b was known, many questions remained about the nature of circumbinary planets; most importantly, was it a fluke? With the discovery of these two new worlds, astronomers can now answer many of those questions as they begin to study an entirely new class of planets.

"It was once believed that the environment around a pair of stars would be too chaotic for a circumbinary planet to form, but now that we have confirmed three such planets, we know that it is possible, if not probable, that there are at least millions in the Galaxy," said Welsh.

"The search is on for more circumbinary planets," agreed Carter, "and we hope to use Kepler for years to come." Source: Daily Galaxy