Good Heavens! The Human Side of Astronomy

If there are highly intelligent beings out there in the cosmos somewhere and they have perfected overcoming the impossible odds and dangers of interstellar and intergalactic travel, why do they always crash here on Earth? And is it even possible for such beings to defy the known laws of physics? On part two of our conversation with astrophysicist and author Dr. Hugh Ross of Reasons to Believe, we...

In case you have not been following the news in the recent months, there has been a resurgence of interest in UFOs, UAPs (Unidentified Aerial Phenomena), and advanced intelligent beings from other dimensions or worlds visiting us. There has also been talk of "non-human biologics", allegedly the remains of the "pilots" of crashed UFOs and UAPs being secretly held by our government. What are these t...

Be sure to catch the Perseid Meteor Shower this weekend (Aug. 12-13, 2023) , weather permitting! If the weather is bad or you can't see them, however, hopefully this episode will be the next best thing! What is a meteor shower, anyway? What do they mean? Where can you see them? Wayne and Dan attempt to answer these and other burning questions about this weekend's Perseid fireworks! Come and see! ...

If extraterrestrial life existed, how would it impact our faith in Christ? What would it look like? Would it be something like bacteria, plants or animals, or something more resembling intelligent agents like ourselves? Is the Earth specially designed to host biological life or are there other "Earth-like" planets in the universe today? This is part two of our special combined broadcast of Apologe...

We have been asking the question as long as we have been able to look up at the stars. Is there life out there in the cosmos? What would it be like? What are the implications for us if there is? And especially, how might extraterrestrial life impact our understanding of the Bible and of the Christian faith? What might extraterrestrial life have to do with Jesus of Nazareth? There is presently no e...

This is part two of our two-part episode on the wondrous world of exoplanets. On this episode Wayne and Dan explore a "super Saturn" with a ring system of over 110,000,000 million miles in diameter. If this planet were where our Saturn is located, we could easily see the rings with the naked eye. They would appear four to five times larger than the full moon! We'll also be looking at the darkest,...

For the next two episodes of Good Heavens! Wayne and Dan will be exploring four fantastic worlds outside of our solar system. For the most part, there have been over 5,000 newly-discovered planets outside our own solar system since the 1990s, with thousands more "candidates" that need further exploration and confirmation.  Astronomers call these planets outside of our solar system "exoplanets."  O...

The James Webb Space Telescope continues to make headlines with its marvelous head-scratching discoveries. On this episode, Wayne and Dan explore a recent JWST unexpected discovery of a disc and multiple rings around the star Fomalhaut. This discovery promises to challenge current theories about how stars and planets form. Wayne and Dan not only discuss the science, but also how we see the star po...

(Galactic image in the thumbnail - NASA - the James Webb Space Telescope Cartwheel galaxy, previously imaged by the Hubble Space Telescope). Galaxies, we might say, are kings of the cosmos. Their splendor and size has really only come to be known in the last 100 years, since Edwin Hubble finally determined that Andromeda, and many other galaxies just like it, were not just nebulae in our own unive...

Good Heavens! Dwarfs (not dwarves) have stolen Pluto's planetary status! Who are these mischievous entities? Why did they steal from Pluto? Where are they, exactly? And what do dwarfs, dancing, and astronomy have to do with each other?  Join Wayne and Dan for this educational adventure in exploring these recently discovered miscreants of the solar system! Hopefully they've answered all of the perp...

Dan summarizes four fantastical new images from the James Webb Space Telescope and how he believes they reveal the glory of God. Objects discussed you can see for yourself! Pandora's Cluster VHS 1256 b (only an artist's conception) Wolf-Rayet 124 NGC 7469 A Star Wreath   Podbean enables our podcast to be on Apple Podcasts and other major podcast platforms.  To support Good Heavens! on Podbean as a...

Did dragons ever really exist? Why is there a constellation of a dragon? Where'd it come from? On this episode of Good Heavens! Dan breaks down the myths and legends behind Draco the Dragon, the 8th largest constellation in the night sky, Find out about its brightest stars and some of the deep sky objects within and about what Scripture has to say about the dragon of old.  Don't miss this fascinat...

See a wondrous alignment of planets at the end of March! Mercury, Jupiter, Venus, Uranus, Mars, and the Moon!  What does it all mean for us? Find out on this special episode!    Podbean enables our podcast to be on Apple Podcasts and other major podcast platforms.  To support Good Heavens! on Podbean as a patron, you can use the Podbean app, or go to https://patron.podbean.com/goodheavens .  This...

What made Alice swim in a puddle of tears?  Mathematics!  As long division did for Dan in 4th grade. Math can bring tears, both of frustration and joy. What exactly is math? Why does it work so well in describing our universe? How can people explain mathematics apart from mind? And what's it all have to do with a grin without a cat?  Come and see (or in this case, listen)!  For more grinning from...

A special edition of Good Heaven! A heavenly event you don't want to miss! Mark your calendars for a special sight in the heavens coming soon. And you won't need a telescope or binoculars. You'll even be able to see it from a big city if your western horizon is clear and the weather is good.  Come and see!   

Have you ever seen a grin without a cat? Come and see, or at least listen to the story about a fascinating object in the deepest recesses of Ursa Major, the Great Bear!  Alice in Wonderland, Charlie Chaplain, Albert Einstein, invisible space-time fabric, and a grin that is kinda out of this world.  For more grinning from the heavens, see Wayne's article! The Grin from Space https://creationanswers...

Part three of our discussion of the fascinating and inspiring life, imagination, and writing of Lord of the Rings author J.R.R. Tolkien includes Tolkien's concept of the eucatastrophe and the importance of friendships both in his life and in the characters of Middle Earth.  Wayne's essay on Tolkien's Fantasy World https://creationanswers.net/goodies/Tolkien_FantasyWorldvsRealWorld.pdf   Some title...

Part two of our discussion of the fascinating and inspiring life, imagination, and writing of Lord of the Rings author J.R.R. Tolkien includes the moral nature of Tolkien's Middle Earth landscapes, true heroism, and Earendel.  Wayne's essay on Tolkien's Fantasy World https://creationanswers.net/goodies/Tolkien_FantasyWorldvsRealWorld.pdf   Some titles mentioned in the broadcast https://www.amazon....

Part one of our discussion of the fascinating and inspiring life, imagination, and writing of Lord of the Rings author J.R.R. Tolkien. Part one features Leaf, By Niggle, Tolkien's idea of the sub-creator, and how his work can remind us of Jesus as the Logos.  Wayne's essay on Tolkien's fantasy world vs. the real world. https://creationanswers.net/goodies/Tolkien_FantasyWorldvsRealWorld.pdf   Some...

If contemporary astrophysics and cosmology has demonstrated anything conclusively about the nature of our universe it is   (1) We have a very special and unique place here on earth to observe and learn more about the universe and   (2) It requires intelligent agents to create even the simplest models of our universe or other theoretical universes.  In short, despite what popularizers of science te...

The book of Job in the Old Testament tells of a prosperous man who was very good who lost much of what he owned and had 10 children die in one day.  Then he was struck with a terrible illness.  The book includes lengthy discussions between Job and his friends and tells of the gnawing questions and frustration Job experienced.  Job also contains the longest quoted passage of God speaking in the Bib...

The book of Job in the Old Testament tells of a prosperous man who was very good who lost much of what he owned and had 10 children die in one day.  Then he was struck with a terrible illness.  The book includes lengthy discussions between Job and his friends and tells of the gnawing questions and frustration Job experienced.  Job also contains the longest quoted passage of God speaking in the Bib...

A short episode about seeing Jupiter this Monday, September 26th and a little background about meteor showers you can see this fall and how you can enjoy these declarations of God's glory.  Meteor Shower Schedule Fall 2022   Image of Jupiter is from the James Webb Space Telescope (NASA/ESA/CSA).  Podbean enables our podcast to be on Apple Podcasts and other major podcast platforms.  To support Goo...

The "science" of the universe is daunting for most of us, in fact, quite literally in not a few ways, it's "over our heads"!  Recently, the new James Webb Space Telescope has revealed some pretty spectacular never-before-seen vistas of some of the deepest regions of the universe. On this episode Wayne and Dan try to break some of it down and how we think it points to the glory of God.  A careful r...

When we see a math problem in a text book or on a chalk or dry-erase board, we assume (quite rightly) it was written there by an intelligent agent. But when physicists discover the universe to be filled with mathematical laws, the implications are not a little disquieting, especially if one does not believe God exists.  If God does not exist, from where do these laws come? Why is the universe inte...