Olber’s Paradox

Psalm 148:3
“Praise ye him, sun and moon: praise him, all ye stars of light.”

Why is the sky dark at night? There’s more to the answer to this question than the fact that the stars do not appear as bright as the sun from Earth.

If stars were evenly distributed throughout an infinite universe – as predicted by the evolutionary big bang theory – a star would be shining no matter where you looked in the night sky. The night sky, while not as bright as the daytime sky, would not be dark anywhere. The fact that this is not what we see at night has been named “Olber’s Paradox,” after the German amateur astronomer who first asked the question.

Ever since, astronomers have been trying to fit Olber’s Paradox into whatever theory about the universe was current. Modern followers of the big bang theory have written that the main reason every inch of the night sky is not glowing with stars is that the expanding universe prevents space from filling with light. New calculations and research now show that if the universe were expanding, it would have very little noticeable effect on the stars in the night sky. Even more interesting, concluded astrophysicist Paul Wesson, is the fact that the main reason the night sky is not bright is that the universe is simply not old enough to have filled with light.

The daily cycle, which includes night’s darkness, is important to almost all the life that the Creator placed on Earth. The truth is that we live in a universe that has been designed for life.

Prayer:
Lord, as Scripture says, even the night sky sings forth Your glory. Help my life to glorify You in ways that others can see. Amen.

Notes:
“Cosmological paradox in the dark of night.” Science News, v. 139. Feb. 23. p. 125.