Did you ever notice that when you begin to think on the wonder and majesty of God that you just can’t quit? This is the third (or fourth) meditation on the eclipse (08/21/17) and last night I had more things running around in my head. Here is a digest.
The solar system is intricate beyond our understanding. The more we learn about it, the more we find out that we do not know. For instance, did you know that Neptune and Pluto have overlapping orbits? Ho boy! I can foresee a cataclysmic collision coming, can’t you? Well, don’t hold your breath. Astronomers have calculated their orbits, and though they intersect geometrically, the planets will never co-occupy the same space. They will never be at the intersection simultaneously. No Big Bang redux miniaturized.
Isn’t that something? Aggregate is the word that we use for the accumulation of gravel, sand, and cement. It means that these components are randomly mixed and cemented together. If we leave aggregate untended, over time it will begin to dis-aggregate. (Is that a word?) It will break down into its individual components, to the chagrin of drivers who encounter the resulting potholes.
We dare not call the solar system, galaxy, and universe a result of aggregation. It does not dis-aggregate. (There it is again. Maybe disintegrate is a good synonym.) As the astronomers have proven, as far out as they want to calculate the orbits, they will not deteriorate enough to collide. Hummmm.
And speaking of interesting, Uranus rotates nearly perpendicular to the direction it orbits the sun. Its equator is tilted 97.77 degrees from the ecliptic. (For reference, the earth is 27 degrees.) Uranus would have extreme changes of seasons. The poles would be oriented so that the sun can hit them for half of a “year” at a time. And the rest of the planet would have strange seasons. The closest point of the planet to the sun moves from pole to pole, covering the entire globe.
First, the “year” for Uranus is 84 earth years. The summer/winter season would last for 21 years with continual light or dark for the duration. The spring/fall seasons, again 21 years, is when the equator faces the sun. The rotational speed of 17 to 18 hours comes into play. From 21 years of dark or light, now it has light and dark exchanging about every 18 hours for 21 years. Some fun. (For reference, the north pole of earth has months of darkness when oriented away from the sun, and months of no darkness, light, when on the other side of the orbit. But the “closest” point only moves between the tropics on either side of the equator.)
Oh yes, another thing. One of Uranus’ moons orbits backwards around Uranus. Nearly all moons and planets orbit the sun or their planet in counter clockwise directions. But Uranus has one going the other direction. Just thought you would like to know.
And two of Uranus’ moons have exactly the same orbital diameter and coincident orbits. I cannot locate the explanation that I read years ago, but they essentially “dance” around the planet in the same orbit without colliding. Huh. (I think that they are Belinda and Bianca, but not confirmed.)
These thoughts simply seem to reverberate what Jeremiah said: Jeremiah 10:12
He made the earth by His power, established the world by His wisdom, and spread out the heavens by His understanding.
Think of that. Some heavens, huh?
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