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I was listening to a fundamentalist Christian radio station yesterday (don't ask) and Mr. Scienceguy came on to explain about how the latest measurements of the solar system's angular velocity prove Genesis to be literally true. In a nutshell , he started by describing the mainstream scientific theory of solar system formation (collapse of a cloud of material) and that historically, scientists believed that a large part (50% or more) of the angular momentum of the whole system was associated with the sun rather than the planets. However, he said, new and more accurate measurements show that most of the angular momentum is associated with the planets (like 98%) rather than the sun (2%). Therefore, he concluded, this proves that the planets formed first, just as stated in Genesis.
Before I go off and check the details of the latest research on the solar system's spin (unless some helpful member can provide that info ) can someone explain to me how he could reach that last conclusion? Why would more angular momentum (rotational + orbital) with the planets mean they formed first? He didn't say.
Of course, this is still far from showing that the solar system formed in a few literal days, but I'm sure the weight of evidence was sufficient in his mind.
Before I go off and check the details of the latest research on the solar system's spin (unless some helpful member can provide that info ) can someone explain to me how he could reach that last conclusion? Why would more angular momentum (rotational + orbital) with the planets mean they formed first? He didn't say.
Of course, this is still far from showing that the solar system formed in a few literal days, but I'm sure the weight of evidence was sufficient in his mind.