Starburst Galaxies and Biblical Cosmic History


starburst NGC 1313A starburst galaxy contains vast numbers of hot clusters, which is why astronomers say they are rapidly giving birth to stars. Astronomers assume that stars are born when gas gravitationally accretes. Yet starburst galaxies do not have great clouds of gas, which are prominent in the arms of mature galaxies. Astronomers often explain starburst history using invisible black holes.

Here is a picture taken with ESO's Very Large Telescope of NGC 1313. NGC 1313 is a starburst, barred spiral with many hot, star clusters at the ends of the short arms. NGC 1313 also contains extremely bright Ultra Luminal X-ray sources (ULX) far from the galactic core. Observations show that some of the X-ray sources vary in brightness. By contrast, a historical super nova in the galaxy glows steadily in X-rays. Telescopes detect an optical emission that seems to coincide with ULX number X-2. The emissions vary rapidly, sometimes within the same observing night. This suggests that the light came from a compact object.

Did NGC 1313 originate according to scientific theories or was it created biblically?

Science has a historical first principle that originated in the mind of a Greek philosopher. Because medieval scholars taught this idea for centuries, it became firmly established as the foundational assumption for western science. The Bible predicted this idea: in the last days mockers will come saying all things remain the same. Scientific definitions, measuring units, methods and mathematics depend on that one assumption - that the properties of matter are fixed, not emerging. Peter predicted that the end-time mockers would use this idea to obfuscate (lanthano) the age of the starry heavens (ouranoi esan ekpalai).

Just as predicted, scientific cosmic history presumes that once atoms form, their essence does not change. Yet we directly observe the ancient universe. Not a single one of the billions of primordial galaxies shines with the frequencies of local atoms. Since this is not scientific, invisible matter allegedly far exceeds the natural kind. Various properties of vacuums make up most of the rest of the scientific universe, stretching light and moving galaxies. Indeed, astronomers explain the hot stars, ULXs and lack of gas clouds in NGC 1313 with invisible black holes.

Visible cosmic history verifies biblical physics. The Bible plainly states that the creation is enslaved to change (e ktisis eleutherothesetai apo tes douleias tes phthoras). We verify this with the only history that is visible, galactic history. God finished the heavens and earth first, yet what He created was dark and without form. Then Elohim's wind (spirit) dithered over the surface (paniym) of the transitory thing (mayim). Elohim continued to command light (owr) to continually be. It was then that light began to give form to matter. The stars did not begin until the fourth creation day. God continued to place the Sun, Moon and stars in the shamayim raqiya - the spread out heavens. In Isaiah He calls the stars to come out and He spreads out the heavens like a tent, both in unbroken continuity.

We see back to the formation of the universe with telescopes. Primordial galaxies were tiny, naked globs. At closer ranges we observe many primordial starburst galaxies, blue globs spread out in chains from galactic cores. When we observe the visible continuum of galactic history, we observe billions of galaxies growing as the properties of all matter keep on changing relationally. Relational changes cannot be measured locally, since they affect everything, even the definitions and the measuring units. However, relational changes are visible both in the history of the cosmos and in local effects. For example, the continents only fit together on a tiny globe and a global expansion seam has gradually formed two thirds of the Earth's underseas crust.

NGC 1313 is one of hundreds of billions of galaxies that are part of the visible continuum of biblical cosmic history. Billions of galaxies grew from tiny globs of primordial matter into huge growth spirals as matter kept on changing its properties and stars kept on forming and spreading out like a tent. A Bible scholar might insist, Genesis says on the seventh day Elohim finished the heavens and the earth. The verb for finish is piel imperfect an intensive action that is incomplete. The heavens and earth continue to change (Greek phthora), even as He holds all things together. The scholar might insist that the Bible presents us with a six thousand year universe. When we examine the universe's history, we see that it is both old in age and young in orbits. How could that be? We see that atomic clocks in billions of spiral galaxies keep on accelerating concurrently with the outward accelerating star streams. Even when we send calibrated clocks out of the solar system, the clocks from the past, relative to those in the present, are doing what clocks (atomic and inertial) continually do in billions of galaxies (Pioneer Anomaly). Generations of astronomers have continued to measure a steadily decreasing solar parallax. The Bible scholar might counter, the Bible lists a limited number of generations during which galaxies could not form. The early generations grew great thick brows as though they lived for geological ages, just like Job so clearly explains.

Biblical physics is incompatible with western science, because every atom in the history of the universe continues changes in a relational manner. How great will be the fall of western science before the great power of God's word. Where will the evidence come from? God's glory is revealed in the shamayim raqiya - the countless billions of galaxies that spread out since creation.

Return to godsriddle main page
Read another essay on Biblical cosmic history


This document is under a Creative Commons License by Victor McAllister. What does that mean?
Last modified on August 15, 2010