UNDERSTANDING THE CREATION The Fourth Day Sun, Moon, and Stars Created

Today let’s attempt to understand: Why the Sun – light and heat for all earth; a mass to fix planets in orbit; calendar Planets – gravitational pull on space matter – so they don’t hit the earth Moon – light at night; a time piece/calendar; the ocean & river tides Stars – for our annual calendar; navigation both by birds and sailors

Genesis 1:14-19 And God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark the seasons and days and years, and let them be lights in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth.” And it was so. God made two great lights – the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars. God set them in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth, to govern the day and the night, and to separate light from darkness. And God saw that it was good. And there was evening, and there was morning-the fourth day.

Start of Second Phase of Creation Preparation: Filling Work: Day 1: Original Day 4: Sun, Moon, & Light & Heavens Stars to fill Heavens Day 2: Sky & Water Day 5: Birds & Fish Day 3: Dry land & Day 6: Animals & Vegetation Humans

THE SUN ¾ hydrogen and ¼ helium 10,000 degrees Fahrenheit on its surface 15 million degrees Kelvin it its interior (allowing the occurrence of nuclear fusion) Heat & light for all life on the earth Its mass and magnetic pull defines the orbit of the planets around the Sun

Differences in the Planets Different sizes Different densities Different spin rates Different tilts Some have satellites, some don’t Different colors But, the 8 planets (except Pluto) are all in the same ecliptic plane!

Seasons Designed for our Benefit Caused by earth’s 23.5 degrees tilt on its axis from vertical – changing Sun’s rays in how direct they hit the earth’s landscape Winter – plants in dormant rest period Spring – new life, buds open into flowers Summer – growth, reproduction, seeds Fall – shedding of leaves and seeds

The Seasons in Washington, DC

The First Day of Fall in Washington, DC : Sept Sunrise (AM) 6:54 6:54 6:54 6:54 6:54 Sunset (PM) 7:07 7:07 7:08 7:08 7:07 Daylight 12 hrs 12 hrs 12 hrs 12 hrs 12 hrs 13 min 13 min 14 min 14 min 13 min Psalm 136:8 – The sun to govern the day, His love endures forever.

“The Man in the Moon” The moon doesn’t rotate on it’s axis It travels straight ahead in it’s orbit around Earth Like a railroad car on a circular track in it’s orbit around the Earth. We always see the same side

The Moon That We See

Mid-Course Summary Discussion Thoughts about 1 st Phase vs 2 nd Phase Good things about the Sun Good things about the Planets Good things about the Earth What’s your favorite season? Good things about the Moon All thanks to our Intelligent and Purposeful Designer!

The Benefits of the Moon Light at night Calendar time because of the phases of the Moon The cause of the ocean tides

Phases of the Moon As the moon orbits the earth in 27.3 days: The appearance of the moon goes through “phases”: Phase 1: New Moon – darkened phase Phase 2: First Quarter – half moon Phase 3: Full Moon – view of full moon Phase 4: Last Quarter – half moon in view

Moon Phases Timetable

Benefit of the Ocean’s Tides The tidal rhythm of the seas is dependable, predictable & beneficial Ebb and flow of tidal waters accounts for constant changes in shorelines & marshes Tides also impact the availability and delivery of plant nutrients, thereby replenishing the earth’s wetlands We all are beneficiaries

What Causes the Tides? 12 midn – high tide(A) 3 am – mid tide 6 am – low tide 9 am – mid tide 12 noon – high tide(B) 3 pm – mid tide 6 pm – low tide 9 pm – mid tide 12 midn – high tide(A)

A Tide Table

Perfect Total Eclipse of the Sun Earth, moon, and sun are in a straight line! Aug. 1, 2008 – Siberia, Greenland July 22, 2009 – China July 11, 2010 – South Pacific, Chile Nov. 13, 2012 – North Australia March 20, 2015 – North Atlantic

The Perfect Total Solar Eclipse When the two bodies, the sun and the moon, appear to be the same size when the moon is directly between the sun and the earth, the moon just barely but completely covering the sun’s disc – that is a total solar eclipse.

“He also made the stars.”

What we see in the night sky The moon, some of the planets, and some star constellations – such as Ursa Minor, Ursa Major, Cassiopeia, and Draco - All revolve around the North Star once every twenty-four hours.

Stars in Celestial Navigation Latitude measured looking at the North Star – at the North Pole you read 90 degrees – at the Equator you read zero degrees Longitude measured by comparing angle of Polaris (North Star) to a nearby star Seafarers, birds, fish, and animals all use some kind of celestial navigation!

A Sextant

Number of Stars in the Heavens 2 nd century – 3, th century – millions 20 th – billion trillion (10 with 20 zeros) 21 st – ten billion trillion (10 with 21 zeros) Recently – one thousand billion trillion (10 with 23 zeros)

“How big is our universe? No one knows if the universe is infinitely large,” NASA

A Final Summary Here Questions – In what way are the sun, moon, and stars designed to suit us here on earth? What do you think is the most amazing miracle that you have discovered this session? How do these realizations change your attitudes and how you live with others?

Psalm 19:1 “ The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.”