Posts Made By: Robert Price

To those who believe that the universe is 6000 years old:
How did the light from galaxies reach us in such a short
period of time? Was the image of the galaxies created
before the galaxy itself? Where did you arrive at 6000
years, when the Bible gives no specific time that the universe was created? As a matter of fact, the word "days"
used in Genesis could refer to either a 24-hour period or
an eon. It is not clear which definition was intended here. Therefore, I am not even sure of the universe being created in 6 days as we know them.
Another matter, on the first day light is created, yet on the fourth day the light givers(e.g. sun, moon, stars) are created. What if this is an allegory that was inteded to
merely convey that God created the universe, and is not a
detailed account of how He did it?
Consider this: In the ancient world the basic elements were thought to be light, earth, and water.
Day 1: God creates light Day 4: sun, moon, stars
Day 2: Air/Sea Day 5: birds and fish
Day 3: earth Day 6: land animals, man
Notice how Day 1 you have light, and on Day 4 you have the objects of light in the sky
On Day 2 you have Air/Sea, and on Day 5 you have the inhabitants of the air and sea.
On Day 3 you have earth(land), and on Day 6 you have inhabitants of land.
The bottom line is that God created the basic elements of the universe, and Scripture paints a picture that ancient man would understand. The Bible is not a book of science, nor does it claim to be. I don't believe that it is trying to explain how God created the universe, nor do I believe that it is necessarily specific in how long He took to create the universe. Scripture's purpose is to tell people about God and His plan of redemption to those who will come to Him for salvation.

Here is a picture of my 16 inch(41cm) telescope. I ground the mirror in a telescope making shop and built the Telekit around it.
It has performed beautifully on planets and deep sky objects.
It also breaks down to fit in my Saturn wagon.

Does anybody out there transport their large dob with a trailer, as opposed to transporting it in a truck or SUV? Do any have good enough suspension to not bang up the scope?

I have always found it interesting that we have a weird mix of units when it comes to our scopes. All eyepieces are in millimeters. Newtonians and Schmidt-Cass telescopes, as well as some large refractors are in inches. Binoculars and small refractors are in millimeters. Why don't we change everything to mm and scrap inches. This way we will have our aperture sizes, focal lengths, and eyepieces on the same unit, which would allow for easier calculation of magnifications(no english/metric conversions).
Besides, I would like to call my 16 incher a 400 mm or .4 meter.
Thoughts, anybody?

Bush vs. Kerry for president. No good choices - just have to choose who is less evil.
At least in Illinois the Senate race is more clear cut:
You can vote for Barack Obama, who seems to be cool headed and rational,
or Alan Keys who seems to enjoy being controversial.
If I understand the debates right he thinks marriage is only for procreation - huh? Somebody correct me on this.
I heard he wants to replace the income tax with a national sales tax. Gee, that makes so much sense - not.
In my congressional district I have a choice between two candidates who incessantly attack each other without addressing the issues. Who to choose....Crain or Bean? I wish they would address the issues.
Well, at least I will be voting for Obama for senator. That one seems like a no brainer.

I read a previous thread that shared an article in which the universe supposedly just passed its 6,000 th birthday.
For those of you who believe that the universe is this young, or even if you believe that the universe is less than 1 million years old I have a question for you. When I go stargazing this time of year I see the Andromeda galaxy, which is around 2.6 million light years away. That means that the light from that galaxy that is arriving in my telescope left 2.6 million years ago. How is this possible if the universe is only 6,000 years old? :S

I am debating between getting a trailer that can hitch to my existing car(once a hitch is added) vs. getting an old minivan that I would use only for astronomy outings. The reason I might go with the van is that the trailer's ride might be too bumpy for my telescope. If I go with a trailer I would definitely get one with a torsion bar, and the mirror would have to come out of the mirror box and ride in its own box in the car to protect it from unnecessary jarring. The third option would buy a new SUV or minivan, but that is the most expensive and gas guzzling way to go.
Below is a picture of my 16" dob.

I have heard much hype about the Nagler 31mm handgrenade. I have a lighter weight University Optics 32mm widescan that has an 82 degree field of view. Yes, the star images do distort some at the edge, and the difference is more pronounced in scopes shorter than f5. The UO eyepiece costs less than half the price of the Nagler.
What do you think, is the Nagler worth the $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$?
$630 is a lot of money for one eyepiece. :S

I have been to NIAG Fest in the past and found it to be an enjoyable star party. Skies are decent and they ususally have good presentations and a nice location.
However, starting next year Indiana will observe daylight savings time. This means that observing will start an hour later. I was wondering how many people will be put off by this fact.

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Where does the Bible say that the world is flat, square and supported upon pillars? I don't recall ever reading that in the Bible.


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I agree that we need to learn about the universe. I don't see anything wrong with that. God gave us brains for a reason - to use them. Scientists need to continue to explore the universe and learn of its origins. I don't see how God would object to that. The Bible certainly does not forbid it.