He made the stars also

The Bible teaches that the earth has been specially prepared to be inhabited. Discoveries in the modern age have shown the spectacular truth of this. The earth has every single one of the many features required for life.

There are many features associated with the earth which make it ideally suited for life. 15 of the most important features are summarised below:

i. Right rate of spin

The earth has the right rate of spin for producing day and night. It is easy to take the 24-hour day for granted but it is an important property that is ideally suited to life on earth. If the days were much longer, they would get too hot and the nights would get too cold. If the days were much shorter, then there would be violent weather conditions due to the increased speed of the earth. Another ideal aspect of the 24-hour day is that it is just right for sleep and rest for creatures.

ii. Right length of year

The length of a year is just right because it produces winters that are just short enough for creatures to survive on stocks of food and energy. The yearly cycle of seasons is also long enough to enable plants to produce crops of food in the summer.

iii. Right tilt on axis

The axis of rotation of the earth has an ideal angle of tilt to produce the seasons of spring, summer, autumn and winter.1

The earth goes round the sun at the rate of approximately once per 365 days (one earth year). The earth also spins on its axis in the anti-clockwise direction once per day and this causes the night and day cycle with the sun rising in the east and setting in the west. The axis of rotation of the earth is tilted at an angle of 23.5 degrees with respect to the axis of the orbit around the sun. This means that from April to September, the Northern hemisphere receives the sun' s rays more directly, so that the northern summer occurs. From October to March, the Southern hemisphere receives the sun' s rays more directly so that the southern summer occurs. The midsummer position for the Northern hemisphere occurs on 21 June and is called the summer solstice. The midwinter position for the Northern hemisphere occurs on 21 December and is called the winter solstice. In between these points are the spring and autumn equinox on 21 March and 21 September respectively. The cycle of seasons that is produced by the earth' s tilt is very important for life on earth. The cycle of winter and summer is what triggers the timing of processes such as blossoming in plants and courtship in creatures. Without the earth' s tilt, there would be no seasons and no timing triggers for living organisms. The level of tilt is also just right for life. On the one hand, if the tilt were much more than 23.5 degrees, then there would be the problem of great ice caps melting in summertime. On the other hand, if the tilt were much less than 23.5 degrees, then there would not be enough variation in temperature and light to make different seasons.

iv. Right distance from sun

The average distance between the earth and the sun is about 150 million km, which produces the right average temperature on the earth. Scientists have calculated that if the earth were just 10% closer to the sun, then it would be like a furnace.2 On the other hand, if it were 20% further away from the sun, then it would be like an icy desert. The earth has an average temperature of about 15 degrees Celsius which is ideal for life.3 The fact that scientists are worried about the effect of global warming of just one or two degrees shows how ideal the present average temperature is. The fact that people live on almost ever part of the planet also shows that the distance between the earth and the sun is just right.

v. Right orbit

Not only is the earth at the right average distance from the sun, but it also has a nearly circular orbit. The distance between the earth and the sun varies between about 147 and 152 million km which represents a small variation. The variation in distance from the sun is so small that it has very little effect on the amount of heat that the earth receives from the sun. This means that the only significant cause of heating and cooling comes from the effect of the tilt of the earth' s axis.

vi. Right surface smoothness

The earth has a remarkably smooth surface. Even the highest mountains and deepest oceans represent very small variations compared to the diameter of the earth. The largest variation in surface smoothness at the highest mountain or deepest sea is about 0.1% of the diameter. In most places, the variation in surface smoothness is less than 0.01%. If a small-scale model of the earth were to be made measuring one metre in diameter, the highest mountain would be less than one mm high. The smoothness of the earth is very important for giving the earth suitable oceans and weather patterns. For example, if the mountains were ten times higher, then there would be extreme local weather conditions.

vii. Right diameter

The size of the earth is just right for life to exist because it produces the right level of gravity. On the one hand, if the earth were much smaller, then this would adversely affect biological processes that rely on significant amounts of gravity such as bone growth. On the other hand, if the earth were too big, then bones would be under too much stress due to the large forces produced by the high gravitational pull. The level of gravity is also ideal for walking and running. The problems caused by the wrong level of gravity were demonstrated when astronauts were on the moon. The astronauts found that they did not have much grip on the ground because of the low level of gravity and this made it very difficult to move.

viii. Right temperature

The temperature of the earth' s surface is critical. If it were too hot, then excessive water vapour and carbon dioxide would collect in atmospheric clouds and the greenhouse effect would run away with itself causing the ice-caps to melt. If it were too cold, then more snow and ice would form, reflecting solar energy and promoting even cooler temperatures.

ix. Right amount of water

The earth has the right amount of water to support abundant life. Com-pared with other parts of the solar system, the earth has an extremely large amount of water in the liquid state. The oceans make up about 70% of the surface of the earth and there is also a vast network of river channels on the land. The whole water cycle is such that there is a convenient and regular supply of fresh water in nearly every part of the earth.

x. Right materials

The earth' s surface contains a wide range of materials and energy resources. Apart from useful organic materials such as wood and leather, there are abundant metals and ceramics in the ground. Metals provide a very useful set of materials for all kinds of uses. There is a whole range of metals, including copper, tin, lead, zinc, aluminium, iron, magnesium, titanium, silver and gold. The range of metals is such that there are materials to satisfy virtually every need of mankind. It is also significant that the most useful materials are also the most abundant in the earth. For example, iron and aluminium are much more abundant than tungsten and titanium and are also of much more use. The variety, usefulness and appropriate abundance of materials in the earth give great evidence of design.

xi. Right atmosphere

The air in the earth' s atmosphere is made up of the following gases: 78% nitrogen, 21% oxygen, approximately 1% argon and very tiny amounts of carbon dioxide, methane, helium, hydrogen, krypton, neon, ozone and xenon. This composition is just right to support life on earth. In addition, the earth's ecosystem requires this composition to remain within quite narrow limits in order to sustain life. For example, too much oxygen would give oxygen poisoning to creatures whilst too little would make breathing difficult. Also, too much oxygen would cause significant problems with spontaneous combustion. On the other hand, too much carbon dioxide would cause the earth to overheat while too little would prevent plants carrying out photosynthesis.

xii. Right ozone layer

High up in the earth's atmosphere there is an ideal layer of ozone (which evidently protects us from harmful radiation from the sun. Ed.). Recent problems of damage to the ozone layer through man-made pollution have highlighted the importance of the ozone layer.

xiii. Right magnetic field

The earth has a magnetic field around it and this plays an important part in deflecting the solar radiation from the sun. In addition, the magnetic field is useful for navigation for both man and creatures.

xiv. Right brightness of sky

When the sun is high in the sky on a cloudless day, the sky is gloriously bright. Even on a cloudy day there is enough brightness to penetrate through the clouds and make a reasonable amount of light. The reason why we have a sky that looks bright in the daytime is because of the earth' s atmosphere. In particular, it is the interaction between sunlight and air molecules in the earth' s atmosphere that causes the sky to light up. When light from the sun hits the earth' s atmosphere, the light is scattered by air molecules in all directions and bounces off other air molecules so that the entire sky is lit up. If light was not scattered, then the sky would appear black in the daytime everywhere except in the direction of the sun. The effect of not having an atmosphere can be seen with the moon. When standing on the moon in daylight, astronauts observed that the sky was black everywhere except when looking directly at the sun. In addition, the sun was extremely bright and hot. In contrast, the sunlight that hits the earth is spread across the whole of the earth' s sky because of the scattering effect of the atmosphere.

xv. Right colour of sky

Not only does scattering light up the sky, but it also lights up the sky with the right colour! The blue sky is just right for the earth because it gives a contrasting colour to the green land. The earth' s sky is made blue because air molecules in the earth' s atmosphere preferentially scatter shorter wavelengths of light from the white light spectrum of sunlight. Since blue has the shortest wavelength in the colour spectrum, blue is preferentially scattered.

Supreme design in the moon

The moon plays an important role in the earth' s ecosystem because it causes the tidal system in the oceans. The moon is so large that it exerts enough pull on the oceans to produce tides of several metres on the shorelines around the world. One of the most important features of the moon is that it is just the right size for producing suitable levels of tides on the earth. On the one hand, if the moon were much bigger, then the tides would be so big that dangerous tidal waves would be produced daily in many places around the world. On the other hand, if the moon were much smaller, then the tides would hardly be noticeable. Tides are very useful for several reasons. Tides prevent the oceans from becoming too stagnant by causing the waters to be mixed. Tides enable rich life to exist on shorelines because they continually expose food in shallow pools on beaches. Tides help to keep coastlines clean by the washing action of the waves and help to produce useful materials like pebbles and sand. Another function of tides, which should not be omitted, is that they produce enjoyable recreation for people.

An unusual feature of the moon is that it is very large compared to the size of its parent planet, the earth. The diameter of the moon is about 3,500 km which is just over a quarter that of the earth. This proportion is greater than for any of the other planets. This statistic indicates that the moon really has been made for the purpose of serving the earth.

The origin of the moon is a great problem for the evolutionist. Some evolutionary explanations for the earth's moon have been bizarre in the extreme. One theory suggests that the moon was originally a large body that was floating through space and just happened to narrowly miss the earth in such a way that it got captured by the earth' s orbit. This theory lacks scientific credibility because scientists now know that satellites require precise propulsion systems to enable them to achieve an orbital path. Since the moon does not have a propulsion system, it could not have produced its own orbit! Another theory of the moon' s origin is that it was originally a large rock that emanated from the Pacific Ocean and is still receding gradually from the earth today. However, the moon is so big and makes such a precise orbit around the earth that it must have been a fully functioning orbiting body from the moment of its creation. For a more detailed study of the moon the reader is referred elsewhere.4

The other planets in the solar system help us to appreciate how amazingly well the earth is designed.

This is an extract from He Made the Stars Also by Dr. Stuart Burgess, published by Day One, and is used with permission.

1 The earth' s climate is now probably different to what it was like before the great Flood at the time of Noah. The reason for this is that the Bible indicates that there was a vapour canopy before the Flood. There is also evidence that the North and South Poles used to have a sub-tropical climate because of the existence of fossils and coal at these places. It is also possible that the seasons of winter, spring, summer and autumn as we know them may only have existed following the Flood (Genesis 8.22). Even though the earth' s climate changed following the Flood, it is still true to say that the positioning of the earth' s axis is ideal for producing seasons and that it represents evidence of supremely intelligent design.

2 Brunier, S., Majestic Universe, Cambridge University Press, p. 76, 1999.

3 Before the Flood it is likely that there were fewer extremes of temperature because of the insulating effect of the water canopy. In particular, it is very likely that there were no freezing temperatures. Given the current design of the earth' s climate, 15 degrees Celsius can still be regarded as an ideal 'average' temperature.

4 Whitcomb, J.C., and DeYoung, D.B., The Moon; its Creation, Form and Significance, BMH Books, p.141, 1978.