Good Heavens! The Human Side of Astronomy
Science & Ideas
About
Good Heavens! The human side of astronomy with Wayne and Dan.
Episodes
- The Wonders of the Moon!
This month, Wayne and Dan go to the moon (sort of)! We talk about the historic Artemis II mission, discuss some scientific mysteries about the moon, read some moon poetry and scripture which mentions the moon. We also, hopefully, make sens…
- What in the World is a Platypus Galaxy?!
Come and see! Yet another discovery courtesy of the James Webb Space Telescope, something over which astronomers are presently puzzling! A star? A quasar? A galaxy? It's not something that astronomers have ever seen before. Like the Platyp…
- Too Many Galaxies For God?
Recently, cosmologist Dr. Sean Carroll suggested that the amount of galaxies in our universe is not something we would expect if God created the universe. But how does Dr. Carroll know what we should expect a God-created universe to look l…
- Meerkats, Comets, and the Glory of God!
What do meerkats and comets have in common? Well, besides both being created by God, which is no small thing, you'll have to just listen to this month's episode of Good Heavens! to find out the answer! If we told you everything in the show…
- The Fascination and Enigma of Interstellar Object 3i-ATLAS!
We have another interstellar visitor in the solar system, something truly out of this (particular) world! Is it an alien spacecraft? Is it a comet? A sign of the end of the world? An asteroid? Demons just messing with us? What's All the Ga…
- Mission Control "Houston" with Mission Control Specialists Mark and Rita Schrock
This is Mark and Rita's first-ever podcast interview! The Schrocks are fellow Christians and engineer specialists at NASA's Mission Control in Houston, Texas and share with us what working at Mission Control is like. We talk about everythi…
- Unroofing the Roof - Some Thoughts on Jesus as God
How does a short passage in Mark chapter 2 point to Jesus as Lord and God? And what might Jesus' healing of the paralytic say about the nature of the universe and our place within it? Can we trust Mark's account as real history? This is a…
- New Discoveries from the Vera Rubin Observatory
Atheists have often claimed that the Bible makes no scientific predictions and therefore cannot be a valid source of knowledge about the universe. But this is simply unfounded. First, modern science as we understand it today did not exist…
- A Philosopher and a Physicist Discuss Probability and the Fine Tuning of the Universe
How does philosophy inform modern physics? And how do physicists incorporate philosophy into their research? On this episode, we dive into those questions with philosopher Dr. Timothy McGrew and astrophysicist Dr. Luke Barnes in order to h…
- The Language of Rivers and Stars with Author Seth Lewis - Part 2
The brand new Vera Rubin Observatory recently opened its 28-foot diameter mirror and snapped a few stunning images that astronomers displayed to the public for the first time in June. You can explore the amazing imagery of the heavens at t…
- The Language of Rivers and Stars with Author Seth Lewis - Part 1
Despite how secular most disciplines in the physical sciences are today, those who study nature assume that nature is intelligible and that it should be explored. But how does modern science actually explain what nature is saying to us? Ho…
- Filmmaker Michael Ray Lewis Part 2 - Design in the Universe Helps Lead an Atheist to Christ
The Bible tells us that we can see and understand "God's invisible attributes" through what He has created. And this is precisely what former atheist Michael Ray Lewis discovered as he spent three years examining the evidence for Christian…
- Filmmaker Michael Ray Lewis - Part 1 - Design in the Universe Helps Lead an Atheist to Christ
This is why we produce Good Heavens! God's creation shows us His invisible attributes. He uses His creation to lead us to Christ, through whom and for whom the entirety of the heavens and earth were made (Colossians 1). Dan recently met a…
- The Beauty of Neptune - Enigmas of the 8th Planet
Neptune is the Roman name for the Greek god of the seas and of earthquakes. Poseidon, in Greek mythology, is the father of Polyphemus, the tyrannical, man-eating cyclopes of Homer's Odyssey. Because the Odysseus blinded Polyphemus, it was…
- The Artistry of Uranus - Wonders of the 7th Planet
You don't hear much about Uranus these days. Probably because it's 1.8 billion miles away, or maybe because the last time an Earth-launched satellite probe visited the enigmatic ringed world was in 1986. A few years ago the James Webb Spac…
- Like a Bridegroom - Insights about the Sun from Scripture and the Parker Solar Probe - Part 2
What does the Bible say about the sun? What is the purpose of the sun? Why did God create it? How does the sun remind us of God's invisible attributes? How could there have been life on earth before the sun? How can we best understand both…
- Rejoicing to Run His Course - Insights about the Sun and the Parker Solar Probe - Part 1
Our thumbnail image this week is not a doctored or photoshopped image, but a genuine picture of the sun from October 2024. Taken in 193 angstrom light on Oct. 26, 2024, NASA captured our sun in a state of rejoicing, or so it seemed (image…
- The Very Big and the Very Small Part 2 - A Conversation with a Cosmologist and Particle Physicist
How might things like "spooky action at a distance" or mysterious as "dark matter" point us to the glory of God? Whether you are a theist or a non-theist or a Christian who believes in a young or an old universe, we can all agree on at lea…
- The Very Big and the Very Small Part 1 - A Conversation with a Cosmologist and Particle Physicist
As human beings we occupy a wondrously peculiar size in the cosmos. With our unique stature, we are able to see and comprehend scales of the universe at the inconceivably huge and the unimaginably small. We here at Good Heavens! believe Go…
- Black Hole Surprises! Part 2
Black holes continue to amaze and surprise us. Just when it seemed the scientific community was settling in on how black holes form, a string of recent discoveries has begun to call those assumptions into question. How about a triple black…
- Black Hole Surprises! Part 1
Black holes remain one of the most enigmatic and wondrous entities in the cosmos. We have only known about them for less than a century. And just when you think you've got a handle on what exactly they are, new discoveries begin to challen…
- Who's Afraid of the Multiverse? Part 2 With Astrophysicist Dr. Jeff Zweerink
The telescope technology of our time has revealed wonders in the cosmos our ancestors could only dream about. But have these discoveries in any way undermined the biblical account of creation? Our guest again this week, astrophysicist and…
- Who's Afraid of the Multiverse? Part 1 With Astrophysicist Dr. Jeff Zweerink
The universe is a fantastically wondrous place. There are more things in heaven and earth than are often dreamt of in our philosophies, to paraphrase Hamlet a little bit. And for the many things we can observe in the physical universe, sci…
- News From Space! A New Segment for Good Heavens!
Instead of just one topic, Wayne and Dan thought it would be fun to cover some current events in the heavens and call it "News from Space" for lack of a better segment title. On this episode they chat about astronauts stuck in space, some…
- Many Worlds, Mormonism, and Multiverses Part Two
Part two with former 4th-generation Latter-day Saint James K. Walker and astrophysicist and Cosmologist Dr. Luke Barnes, plus some bonus surprise guests. Make sure you listen to Part One for fuller context of our conversation! There is a r…
- Many Worlds, Mormonism, and Multiverses Part One
Something a little out of the ordinary for our Good Heavens! family. How about theories in physics and cosmology combined with a discussion about Mormonism and storytelling? Yes! That's a lot to process, but we hope you'll find it mildly i…
- The Geology of the Genesis Flood - Part Three - with Geologist Dr. Andrew Snelling
As you certainly know by now, for the month of August, Wayne and I have taken a little break from the heavens for a very special focus on the Earth, specifically some spectacular geological evidence for the biblical flood. Here on part thr…
- The Geology of the Genesis Flood - Part Two - with Geologist Dr. Andrew Snelling
For the month of August, Wayne and I are taking a little break from the heavens for a very special focus on the Earth, specifically some spectacular geological evidence for the biblical flood. Here on part two of our three-part series we a…
- The Geology of the Genesis Flood - Part One - with Geologist Dr. Andrew Snelling
For the month of August, Wayne and I are taking a little break from the heavens for a very special focus on the Earth, specifically some spectacular geological evidence for the biblical flood. And in this three-part series we are honored t…
- The Hubble Constant, Speed of Light, and Other Cosmic Wonders
We continue our discussion about the Hubble Constant and delve into a few other cosmic anomalies, including the assumption Albert Einstein made regarding the speed of light. And, somehow, we also ended up talking about Noah's flood and the…
- The Mystery of the Elusive Hubble Constant
Probably the only thing that is constant about the Hubble Constant is that it keeps changing! What is it? Why is it such a hot topic in cosmology today and why are some even calling it a "crisis"? Come along with Wayne and Dan as they dive…
- A JuMBO Discovery in the Orion Nebula (Part 2)
What explanations have astronomers come up with to explain the recent mysterious discovery of JuMBOs in the Orion Nebula? Why so many? How did they form? Why so many in pairs? Why did the form in the Orion Nebula? Here on part two we discu…
- A JuMBO Discovery in the Orion Nebula (Part 1)
The "Standard Model" of particle physics is science's attempt to explain the basic, fundamental building blocks of the universe. In many ways, the Standard Model has accurately predicted many groundbreaking discoveries at the subatomic lev…
- Wonderful Things From Saturn's Rings! Part Two
Come and hear more on Saturn's rings and what scientists say about how they formed! Despite all science tells us about the sixth planet from the sun, the wondrously ringed world of Saturn, there is still much that remains unknown. And mayb…
- Wayne and Dan at the Great American "Eclipsnic" of April 8, 2024
Wayne made up "eclipsnic" to describe our combination picnic and eclipse we watched with not a little awe and wonder in Waxahachie, Texas on April 8, 2024. On this special episode we try to put into words what words cannot finally adequate…
- Wonderful Things From Saturn's Rings! Part One
News clip from CBS https://youtu.be/ZSMiQQ7aQKI?si=2KKoL2ECu8YOgOln Link to "The Journal of Creation" December 2023 issue, featuring Wayne's article on Saturn's rings. The article is presently through subscription to the Journal only. http…
- Total Eclipse April 8th, 2024 with Astronomer Dr. Guillermo Gonzalez
Total eclipses are a spectacular and breathtaking wonder to behold. And a total eclipse is coming over the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex as well as parts of the eastern United States on April 8th, 2024. Totality in the DFW area will last a l…
- Too Big for the Big Bang 2 (Part One) Cosmic Superstructures (stereo)
Stereo repost. Current models of how our universe came to be are based on a few assumptions the brilliant physicist-genius Albert Einstein made about the universe - things he could not finally physically test or demonstrate. In order to do…
- Too Big for the Big Bang 2 (Part Two) Cosmic Superstructures that Challenge Einstein's Assumptions
How often do you think of the Roman Empire? If you are a believer in Jesus, you probably think about it quite a bit! But how often do you think about the Parthian Empire? And what do the Romans and the Parthians have to do with cosmic supe…
- Too Big for the Big Bang 2 (Part One) Cosmic Superstructures that Challenge Einstein's Assumptions
Current models of how our universe came to be are based on a few assumptions the brilliant physicist-genius Albert Einstein made about the universe - things he could not finally physically test or demonstrate. In order to do his calculatio…
- The 25th Anniversary of The Design Inference with Dr. William Dembski Part2
"What are the chances of that happening?" we often say or hear whenever something remarkable or out of the ordinary takes place. When we use that phrase, we are invoking the design inference, even though we may not exactly call it that. Ou…
- The 25th Anniversary of The Design Inference with Dr. William Dembski Part 1
For centuries, Western natural philosophy, theology, the scientific tradition widely accepted that the physical cosmos and life within it was the creation of God. Arguably one of the most influential works which usurped the belief in God a…
- Seeing Through a Glass Darkly - The History of Telescopes Part 2
Telescopes certainly have opened our eyes to the wonders of the heavens. For Christians images from the deepest regions of the universe only serve to confirm what David in the 19th Psalm declares. The heavens are telling of the glory of Go…
- What’s In Your Lens? The History of Telescopes Part 1
The telescope has revolutionized the way we understand the universe. But in the four centuries since its invention, it seems astronomy science today has lost the original focus of those Christians who first laid eyes on the heavens through…
- Does Anyone Really Know How Old the Universe Is? Part 2
While Wayne and Dan are certainly no professional cosmologists, they believe that scientists who study the universe need a bigger conceptual boat. There are "monsters" out there in the deep that don't seem to fit the current Big Bang dingy…
- Does Anyone Really Know How Old the Universe Is? Part 1
If you are anywhere in the vicinity of Wayne and Dan's generation, you probably have at least heard of the band Chicago. They have a few catchy tunes with some interesting titles, like 25 or 6 to 4 and Does Anyone Really Know What Time It…
- The Osiris Rex Mission to Bennu. Can Carbon From an Asteroid Tell Us Where We Came From?
Why does science explore the universe? If the universe has no ultimate purpose, why study it? But how can science know that the universe has no ultimate purpose? Can carbon from an asteroid really tell us where we came from and what our pl…
- The Annular Eclipse of October 2023 and the Glory of God
You have likely at least seen pictures or videos of solar eclipses, perhaps you have been fortunate enough to see one as it happens. Either way, eclipses are quite a dramatic and awe-inspiring sight to behold. What do they mean? Anything?…
- Lights in the Sky and Little Green Men Part 2 - with Astrophysicist Dr. Hugh Ross
If there are highly intelligent beings out there in the cosmos somewhere and they have perfected overcoming the impossible odds and dangers of interstellar and intergalactic travel, why do they always crash here on Earth? And is it even po…
- Lights in the Sky and Little Green Men Part 1 - with Astrophysicist Dr. Hugh Ross
In case you have not been following the news in the recent months, there has been a resurgence of interest in UFOs, UAPs (Unidentified Aerial Phenomena), and advanced intelligent beings from other dimensions or worlds visiting us. There ha…