Items Posted In May, 2019

Influence of Immanuel Kant

Kant with his friends.

Posted on May 15, 2019 by

Categories: Philosophical

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The influence of Immanuel Kant is difficult to overstate.  His philosophical writing coupled with the cosmological understanding of the 18th century gave permission for scientists of the time to deny the existence of God. Immanuel Kant was one of the most influential philosophers of his time.  He was brought up by very strict and religious parents and remained at least nominally a Christian throughout his life.  His philosophical approach represented a struggle between the religious belief of his youth and the scientific advances of his time.  He famously believed in immortality but reconciled this belief with the notion that limitations… Read More »

White Dwarf Stars

Sirius and White Dwarf

Posted on May 10, 2019 by

Categories: Cosmology, Science

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The age of white dwarf stars is one of the best ways to help determine the age of the universe.  We took a brief look at how this is done. But to really understand how this is done, it is necessary to take a deep dive into what a white dwarf star really is, how they form, how they cool off, how all white dwarfs are nearly identical, and how they are able to determine the age of the universe. White dwarf stars are the dead remnants of old stars that are no longer burning nuclear fuel; they are still… Read More »

Big Bang Confirmed

big bang image

Posted on May 2, 2019 by

Categories: Cosmology, Science

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The existence of the Big Bang has been confirmed through multiple independent mechanisms to have occurred about 13.78 billion years ago.  We can even measure the left-over temperature from the Big Bang in empty space. Two of the greatest discoveries made in cosmology during the twentieth century were that the universe is flat (space is not curved), and the cosmological constant (space is now expanding at an ever-accelerating rate).  These are important because they both imply that the universe had a beginning – that it is not eternal. Space and time were both created at the big bang event and… Read More »