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Hosing down the hypeNew planet find has ET hopefuls in a frenzyThe latest discovery of a new extrasolar planet is being hailed as ‘ … the first truly Earth-like planet to have been found outside our Solar System.’ And ‘This remarkable discovery appears to confirm the suspicions of most astronomers that the universe is swarming with Earth-like worlds. We don’t yet know much about this planet, but scientists believe that it may be the best candidate so far for supporting extraterrestrial life.’ So what’s it all about?
UK Schmidt Telescope, Skyview 
51 Pegasi attracted enormous attention when it was claimed that an extrasolar planet was orbiting the star. For as long as mankind has been able to comprehend that there are other planets besides the earth in our own solar system, he has been obsessed with the ‘hope’ that there may be other life forms other than our own. This is the true driving force behind the massive efforts of many space agencies and astronomers in their search of the heavens. By finding life forms on other planets, astrobiologists hope that it will give them some insight into how life began (evolved) on the earth. The first discovery of an alleged planet outside of the known bodies of our own solar system came in 1995 when Michael Mayor and Didier Queloz of Geneva announced that they had detected a rapidly orbiting mass close to star 51 Pegasi. However, calculations for the size of this mass ranged from half the mass of Jupiter to twice its mass. Given the understanding of the enormous gravity of Jupiter, and the fact that this new body was very close to its parent star, this meant any life forms would be frazzled from the heat and radiation, thus it made the chance of any life existing on it nigh impossible. Size has been one of the major problems with most of the extrasolar planets (also known as exoplanets) discovered so far. The most common problems have been that:
For exoplanets ‘size does matter’It should be remembered that these planets are not detected by direct observation. There are several indirect methods of detection used for extrasolar planets. One way is to measure the decrease in light given off by the star each time the neighbouring planet passes between our line of sight and its sun. This is known as the transit method. We can observe a similar effect when Mercury or Venus passes between our sun and the earth. But in most cases a planet does not pass in front of its star along our line of sight. One of the most common methods of detection is by looking for a wobble in a star, and assuming it’s caused by the gravitational pull of a planet. The exoplanets’ size and distance from its star is determined by studying the wobble. For example, Jupiter causes our sun to wobble slightly, pulling it off centre.1 This is called the ‘radical velocity’ or simply the wobble technique. As the star wobbles from the gravitational pull of a planet, the frequency of the starlight we observe from it can shift up and down. This is known as the Doppler Effect. A similar thing happens with sound waves. You may have noticed how an approaching police siren suddenly seems to change pitch when it passes you and begins moving away.2 This is one is different
Image by Zac Bavas 
Are earth-like planets out there? Because water is an essential ingredient for life, astrobiologists are virtually salivating at what they regard is a huge potential for extraterrestrial life. However, these planet-hunters start from the mistaken premise that evolution has occurred on the earth, which leads them to believe that ET could have evolved on other earth-like planets. Indeed, this is really the agenda behind the search for exoplanets, as most Earthlings believe they are not alone in the universe. Accordingly, the discovery of Gliese 581 C has made headlines all around the world, in which most proclaim a theme of ‘At last, an Earth-like planet found’. But in reading most of these articles you will note there is a great deal of wishful thinking involved. Expressions such as ‘it might be’, ‘potentially is’ and ‘astronomers believe’ are interspersed among the facts surrounding the discovery. Do you recall similar hyperbole when microbes were supposedly found on Mars? There is a very tangible reason for their hyping up of the evidence. It is because most researchers rely upon external funding to continue their work. In a field of endeavour where so little is ever actually delivered, one certainly has to make ‘much ado about nothing’ to help pay the bills. Even the bookies are worried!
‘Life on another planet’ claims have all the appearance of being more science fiction than science fact. Should we be concerned about extrasolar planets?Life could only have occurred by one of two methods. It either evolved or was created. The Bible tells us that God is the author of life in the universe because He is the One who made the universe. The only planet that God’s Word says He created life on was Earth. There are major theological problems for the very gospel of Christ if we presume that God created life on other planets. No matter where we look in the universe the idea of sentient alien life looks increasingly unlikely. God has created other planets within our own solar system and operational science demonstrates that they are devoid of life. So it should not be unexpected that God would be consistent with His design elsewhere in the universe. This latest planetary discovery is short on evidence, and the associated ‘life on another planet’ claims have the appearance of being more science fiction than science fact. The facts tell us that the earth and its sun are very special and this is consistent with God’s own Word that tells us, ‘ … God himself that formed the earth and made it; he hath established it, he created it not in vain, he formed it to be inhabited’ (Isaiah 45:18). Related Products
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Published: 9 May 2007(GMT+10) |