Return to the Moon?

 Young people in the 1960s were enamored with space travel. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) was organized as a government agency in 1958.  John F. Kennedy, US president from 1961-63, set a national goal of sending a man to the moon and returning him safely to Earth. 

In the 1960s NASA produced many films dealing with the trajectory of our nation’s space program. The films piqued the imaginations of our young students. Several times teachers in the school where I taught science wheeled a television set into our classroom to observe events as they occurred:  Alan B. Shepard’s sub-orbital flight (5/5/61) which proved man’s ability to withstand elevated g-forces, and John H. Glenn’s first orbital flight (2/20/62) demonstrating human ability to survive in the outer space gravity-free environment. We were in a race with the former Soviet Union to highlight our nation’s superiority in science. Many US students have maintained their interest in space since our astronauts reached the Moon during the Apollo moon explorations from 1969-1972. 

Students and adults alive at the time of the initial Moon visits, however, may have wondered why our country has not returned to the moon for over fifty years. Have our national priorities changed over the last half-century? Our populace has demanded more in terms of transportation, navigation, weather forecasting, entertainment, national security, and many others. Space age technology has strengthened our knowledge of these topics for the past half century.

In addition to our gains in science and technology, there is another dimension to our knowledge of outer space. Sadly, this dimension is not recognized by a majority of today’s scientists. We propose there is a theological dimension. This dimension is often mocked by scientists, who believe science and faith (theology) are unrelated categories of knowledge.

The theological dimension is a vital pillar supporting our Science/Faith blog. For reference, we link an early blog:  https://jasscience.blogspot.com/2010/04/theologys-scientific-support.html  There are many ways our blog has highlighted the relationship of science and faith. We link:  https://jasscience.blogspot.com/2014/12/overview-effect.html   When our astronauts journey to outer space and gaze back upon Planet Earth, many are impacted by the overview effect—a feeling of intense awe and wonder when they experience a vision of Earth from a completely different physical perspective. On December 24, 1968 Astronauts Anders, Lovell, and Borman were 234,000 miles from Earth, farther from our planet than any human had ever travelled. These three astronauts linked their scientific activities with a powerful faith-strengthening worship experience as they viewed Planet Earth from a great distance. While in orbit around our Moon the Apollo 8 astronauts each read a few verses from Genesis 1:1-10. I was transfixed as I listened to the broadcast of the event in real time!

Our world shows evidence of divine design wherever we look. Our society wrestles with differences in worldview as well as differences in national policy. Our political leaders believe in the benefits of space exploration.  But we must obey laws of motion, laws governing energy production, and adhere to many fundamental physical constants. Who authored those laws and constants? Did they appear randomly, or by accident? Do we believe in the incredible fine-tuned features of our universe?        Nations of the world must deal with an orderly, intelligently designed universe in their flights to outer space as well as in all their national endeavors. 

US space scientists are currently embarked on the Artemis Program. Artemis I was an uncrewed flight to the Moon and back. Artemis II supports a crewed Moon mission without landing on the lunar surface. Artemis III astronauts will land on the Moon’s south polar region before returning to Earth. Artemis IV crew members will install a space station called Lunar Gateway which supports both crewed and robotic lunar exploration, but not before 2028.

The current blog does not do justice to the desirability and complexity of our country’s space program. The Artemis program among many others, is an international symbol of human cooperation. Major players in the international drama are the European Space Agency (ESA), Japan (Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA). Canada (Canadian Space Agency (CSA), and the United Arab Emirates Space Agency (UAESA).      

Let us prayerfully commit our national and international space scientists to our Creator for wisdom in their mission of discovery.    

 

  

  

Periodic Polar Vortexes

 Recently our national weather news has been filled with meteorological superlatives. We cannot say we weren’t forewarned about the unusual weather which descended upon the US in late January 2026. We have experienced an unusual dose of winter woes, ranging from snow, to sleet, to freezing rain, to wind. This plethora of weather events has brought with it miseries ranging from frozen water pipes, vehicle accidents, flight cancellations and power failures, not to mention human discomfort, injury, and even death. As of this writing citizen human deaths have risen to 34 and counting. 

The United States has endured the most protracted stretch of cold weather in several years. The public tunes in to media weather reports for an explanation. An important term has been introduced to our weather-aware public in the last several decades. It is called the POLAR VORTEX, a feature of the divinely created weather system operating on our planet for thousands of years.

Before discussing specific details of our recent weather woes, we cite several  scripture references from the Old Testament. The Book of Job possesses fascinating scientific insights concerning creation events, behavior of living things, and events from the world of nature, including weather phenomena. This OT book is filled with up to date commentary on scientific issues in a piece of divinely inspired literature composed about 3500 years ago.

Following are two insightful meteorological passages from the Book of Job. They both relate to winter blasts of extremely cold air. 

By the breath of God ice is given, and the broad water are frozen fast (Job 37:10-11 ESV).  From whose womb did the ice come forth, and who has given birth to the frost of heaven? The waters become hard like stone, and the face of the deep is frozen

(Job 38:29-30 ESV).

The destructive winter blasts of January 2026 and several thousand years ago were caused by manifestations of the polar vortex, described initially by scientists in 1853. We copy a paragraph from our 2/17/19 post dealing with Planet Earth’s two polar vortexes:

“There are two types of polar vortexes: tropospheric and stratospheric. Both vortexes consist of air circulating west to east, but differ in their size. Earth’s troposphere is the zone of Earth’s atmosphere where virtually all weather occurs. It hugs the Earth’s surface, ascending to various heights—highest at the equator (12 mi) but not as high at the poles (4 mi). Earth’s stratosphere rests atop the troposphere. Its temperature begins to rise as altitude increases. On occasion, various phenomena contribute to SSW (sudden stratospheric warming) at high latitudes around the poles. As a result the stratospheric polar vortex weakens, sending intensely cold air masses southward. The weaker the stratospheric polar vortex, the more likely we will receive a heavy dose of uncommon and intense cold. Truly intense stratospheric polar vortexes strike the US rarely, perhaps every few years.”

It is ironic that sudden stratospheric warming (SSW) triggers intense cooling at other locations on our planet! This mystery is studied by an army of weather scientists. In addition to the stratospheric polar vortex which was largely responsible for our recent intensely cold weather, other, more familiar weather phenomena made the event even more intense. These phenomena are called the polar jet streams. We might say that an additional polar vortex—the tropospheric polar vortex—locates the jet streams. These moving air streams locate wam/cold and dry/moist air masses and cause them to move. Our changeable yet beneficial weather systems owe their existence to jet streams. “Then I will give you rain in its season, the land shall yield its produce, and the trees of the field shall yield their fruit”  (Leviticus 26:4 ESV).

Job 37-38 refers to other weather wonders such as snow, lightning, and thunder from the dialog between Elihu and God Himself. These verses highlight humanity’s lack of knowledge concerning meteorological wonders which sustain life on Planet Earth.

We sympathize with media meteorologists who attempt to explain not only pleasant, beneficial weather, but also the complexities of unpleasant events such as the tropospheric polar vortex. 

We close with a devotional passage from Rev. 4:11:

“Worthy are you our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.” (ESV)

   

  

  

Responding to Skeptics

 

Several years prior to our Science/Faith blog’s inception in 2007, your blog author emailed many secular scholars and columnists concerning the viability of our Christian faith and its inherent belief system. My family history supplied a strong affirmation of the truth of the Christian faith and respect for scientific truth. I have retained a large file of emails I wrote to scholars in the academic world and many of the responses they offered in return. The email exchanges served as inspiration for me. Many of the respondents remarked that they valued the dialog and were pleased their readers responded.

We advocate that Christians become pro-active in communicating our faith to fellow citizens, even those who do not operate on our theological wavelength. Hugh Ross, founder of the organization Reasons to Believe, encourages Christians to “Always be ready” to give a defense of our faith: The Apostle Peter counsels, “…But in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; but do it with gentleness and respect…” (I Peter 3:15 ESV)

One of the columnists we cited in our opening paragraph was fond of making critical and controversial statements in his writing. I responded to him with my personal commentary, especially when the columnist attacked the Christian faith and Christian leaders. This was an opportunity to put into practice the exhortation of the Apostle Peter (I Peter 3:15). Recently I re-discovered a folder containing copies of the two-way correspondence with this columnist. The packet contained thirty-five letters between us. Our communication continued for three years. 

The columnist expressed bold doubts about a number of issues related to the Christian faith. He felt the Bible contained much “hearsay evidence” concerning the ministry of Jesus Christ and wondered why God’s Son did not produce an autobiography. He questioned how the truth of Christ’s mission is communicated to us in the 21st century. He doubted the inerrancy of Scripture—its factual information and its divine inspiration. He perceived the Bible as an all-too-human production.

My response was “When I was young I believed the Christian gospel…..As I got older I studied a range of apologetic sources on Christianity, along with a rather broad study of science topics…..The Christianity came first, the science knowledge later…..The objective science training I received helped me avoid the ‘company line’ that science and theology are separate realms.” The link between faith and science was established in my mind several years before we formally launched our Science/Faith blog in 2007.  

The Bible makes extraordinary claims concerning miracles. Such claims demand extraordinary evidence. The problem arises when someone insists that hearsay evidence concerning miracles is always unreliable. 

Doubts about the existence of God are difficult to refute. Ultimately, when skeptics insist on evidence of a particular kind we may not be able to offer the type of proof they demand. For example, God created all things (the heavens and the earth) in the beginning. But who created God, my friend queried?  Other questions he raised related to historic Christian colonialism, the Crusades, and other “holy wars” waged in the name of God. He also questioned my belief in divine creationism instead of evolution.

The exchange with the newspaper columnist was generally pleasant and civil. In retrospect, we were able to reinforce the belief that science and faith are allies, not enemies. As we defend this principle, we must do so with gentleness and respect.    

   

 

  

Natural Glory

 Each calendar year provides special examples of natural glory for our Earth, Solar System, and cosmic environment. Some natural displays are “subtle and muted.” Other displays are spectacular and eye-catching. 

We highlight two of the most startling examples of natural glory to appear in 2025. Here is a link to our previous post—“Comet Tales:” https://jasscience.blogspot.com/2025/12/comet-tales.html  The post reports on Comet 3(I) Atlas, a famous comet arriving from far outside our Solar System. It was discovered approaching our planetary system on July 2, 2025 from a distant star in our Milky Way Galaxy. The comet is an example of a “subtle and muted” phenomenon. Only astronomers equipped with powerful telescopes and other equipment may fully appreciate its natural glory.

Comet 3(I) Atlas traveled from a star many light years away. The nearest star other than our Sun is 4+ light years distant. In miles, that distance is over 24 trillion miles. The Milky Way, our home galaxy, is about 100,000 light years wide. A quote from the SETI Institute states Comet 3(I) Atlas’s trajectory, “…suggests that the object may have wandered through interstellar space for millions, if not hundreds of millions of years before encountering our Solar System.”

Another instance of natural glory was the rare display of aurora borealis (northern lights) visible for many Earth residents late this year. These displays were “spectacular and eye catching.” The Sun experiences a solar maximum every 11 years on average: magnetic activity on the sun is at its maximum. Many natural events on Planet Earth are cyclical, repeating regularly over and over. The Creator of heaven and earth has established many cycles in nature as part of the orderliness and predictability of our cosmic environment. We mention a few life-sustaining cycles in our natural world: seasonal cycles, the water cycle, and chemical cycles (carbon, oxygen, and nitrogen cycles). Finally, a cycle related to the recent episodes of northern lights—the solar cycle.

Our Sun displays increased appearances of sunspots every 11 years. Sunspots are visible as small dark spots on the surface of the sun. These dark areas can be seen more commonly at solar maximum. They are more plentiful closer to the sun’s equator as they move with the rotating sun. This year Earth residents were treated to a glorious display of northern lights, visible after dark. Sunspots are a geo-magnetic phenomenon. At solar maximum the sun’s N-S magnetic poles reverse positions.

From the 11/11/25 article in space.com we read, “Wow, the northern lights put on a stunning display last night with auroras reported as far south as Mexico.” During the chaotic magnetic events, the Sun, composed almost completely of plasma, generated strong magnetic bursts known as coronal mass ejections (CME) which travel through space and interact with Earth’s atmosphere. Thus, we are treated to beautiful aurora borealis, better known as the northern lights.

Why do we highlight these two examples of “natural glory? (1) Comet 3(I) Atlas enables us to access information concerning matter created billions of years ago. Our timeless Creator performed many transformational miracles in the distant past. (2) The geomagnetic northern lights event is a stunning contemporary display of God’s handiwork. Scientists are able to describe the phenomenon better than they are able to explain it.  

During the startling aurora borealis light show of 11/11/25, we enjoyed a sky with beautiful hues of violet, pink, green, red, and other colors piercing the darkness of our northern sky. We were reminded of one of our favorite scripture passages: “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.” Psalm 19:1 ESV  

  

Comet "Tales"

 

An unusual astronomical event has captured our attention—a visit by a special comet entitled 3(I) Atlas, first spotted in July 2025. The letter “I” indicates its interstellar origin, while the numeral 3 tells us it is only the third interstellar comet ever detected. Atlas is the name of the survey telescope used to discover it.

Comets are composed of frozen gases, dust particles, and sometimes small rock fragments. They are infrequent visitors to our region of the Solar System. Sometimes they are referred to as “frozen snowballs.” They are set in motion by the force of gravity from another passing body. Sometimes they hurtle toward our Solar System and become visible when the sun heats their frozen gases. The comet forms a coma surrounding its nucleus. It also sprouts a tail as it comes closer to radiation from the Sun. The appearance of a comet is a rare visual treat.    

Comets originate from two regions—the Kuiper Belt, and the Oort Cloud. The Kuiper Belt is the source of short term comets. It is a region that begins at the orbit of Neptune and continues somewhat beyond the orbit of former planet Pluto. The Oort Cloud is much more distant and much larger. Astrophysicists believe the Oort Cloud may host up to a trillion long term comets. The Oort Cloud is still considered part of our Solar System. Depending on various estimates, 6000 or more comets have been observed and catalogued. 

Until 2017, all visible comets were believed to originate within our own Solar System.  In 2017 and 2019 the first two extra-solar comets were detected which formed beyond our Solar System. The comet 3(I) Atlas has generated considerable excitement. It came from a star system a great distance from our Solar System.

Our Solar System hosts a star surrounded by planets, their moons, and other bodies, including comets and asteroids. Our home galaxy, the Milky Way, is a spiral galaxy composed of over 100 billion stars. 

Stars, planets, satellites, asteroids, comets, and many other objects in our universe  have been formed or modified by thousands of transformational miracles. Our Science/Faith blog has often categorized three type of miracles: transcendent, transformational, and sustaining. Genesis 1:1 speaks about a transcendent miracle—the creation of “the heavens and the earth.” At that instant, MATTER, ENERGY, SPACE, and TIME were brought into existence. A helpful discussion of different types of miracles can be found in our 11/13/2017 post. Here is a link to that post: 

https://jasscience.blogspot.com/2017/11/our-miracle-immersed-planet.html

Comet 3(I) Atlas formed in the region surrounding a neighboring star. There were a few breathless “experts” who speculated the comet was an example of alien technology. Currently, experts pronounce Comet 3(I) Atlas to be a natural phenomenon, not the product of intelligent visitors from an alien world. The nearest star in our Milky Way galaxy is four light years away, an enormous distance within our 100,000 light-year wide galaxy. Our Solar System, including our home on Planet Earth is composed of matter miraculously transformed by our timeless, omnipotent Creator since His initial transcendent creation of “the heavens and the earth.” Comets of all types help us discover the story of creation.

Comet 3(I) Atlas has already passed our Sun and is headed away from our Solar System to continue its journey of billions of years. It is not a periodic comet and it will never return to our cosmic neighborhood. We trust this post inspires readers to study related theological and scientific issues triggered by the arrival of 3(I) Atlas. Extensive web articles supply fascinating detail about our cosmic visitor.     

  

           

  

Devotional Astronomy

 Earth Science teachers are always on the lookout for unusual current events to pique student enthusiasm for their subject matter. In my past teaching experience current astronomical events supplied subject matter to reinforce and amplify classroom discussions and activities.

Before launching a more detailed discussion of devotional astronomical phenomena, let us review several mundane astronomical events. Our populace becomes excited about astronomical terminology describing events such as “super moons.” 

What is a “super moon?” About 2-5 times per year the full moon is classified a “super moon.” The full moons of October 7, November 5, and December 4, 2025 are also considered “super moons.” Full moons occur 12-13 times per year when the sun, earth, and moon are generally in line. At full moon the earth is positioned between the two other bodies. The orbit of the Moon is slightly elliptical—not a perfect circle. Sometimes the Moon is located at perigee, an orbital path which brings the Moon closest to the Earth. The closer Moon appears up to 14% larger and 30% brighter.

The foregoing facts are somewhat esoteric. However, the events may generate fascination and admiration. Another phenomenon is the conjunction, or apparent close approach of planets or other celestial objects in our sky. In one recent conjunction two planets, Jupiter and Saturn, were so close they almost appeared to be one object. One may develop an intellectual exercise to determine the cause of unusual or attractive conjunctions. Two blog posts dealt with this unusual conjunction several years ago:

https://jasscience.blogspot.com/2020/12/star-of-wonder-2020.html

https://jasscience.blogspot.com/2020/12/signs-in-sky.html

The 2020 conjunction generated considerable excitement. Was the Star of Bethlehem  described in Matthew 2:7-10 making a return visit? Although it is possible that the Creator of All Things could cause a planetary conjunction, it is more likely that planetary and lunar motions are merely random events which inspire fascination, wonder, and worship.

We cite one more past blog post where a science activity inspired a sense of wonder. In order to experience the sense of wonder, in 1997 I invited my astronomy students to arrive at school in morning darkness in order to observe two planets, Venus and Mercury, rising in the dark eastern skies only one or two minutes apart. Venus is a Solar System planet easily observed as a very bright object in our skies. It is relatively close to Planet Earth’s orbit and therefore, easy to observe. Tiny Planet Mercury is closer to the Sun and is often lost in the glare of the Sun. Most people have never observed Mercury. 

https://jasscience.blogspot.com/2008/10/moment-of-worship.html

Humanity in the 21st century may ignore inspiring devotional scripture passages in favor of secular scientific interpretations. The emphasis in the current post is more devotional and less scientific. However, scientific truths can inspire a devotional experience for Christians.

We close with two famous scripture passages which trigger devotional experiences.

“There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars; for star differs from star in glory” (I Cor. 15:41 ESV). Authors of Scripture would assign a devotional dimension to similar passages. Another example is found in Psalm 121. “I will lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.” (Psalm 121:1-2 ESV)