Mystery galaxy could unravel Big Bang theory of creation

By Marshall Connolly (Catholic Online)
7/20/2012
Catholic Online (www.catholic.org)

Called 'theory' for a reason.

Astronomers are being reminded today why they call their best explanations "theories" as opposed to facts. A recent find from the Hubble Space Telescope backed with observations from the Keck Observatory in Hawai'i show a spiral galaxy as it looked some 10 billion years ago. The catch? It isn't supposed to exist.

An artist's rendering of BX442.

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LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - The galaxy is a spiral galaxy, as it looked some 10.7 billion years ago, just 3 billion years after the Big Bang. The current model of the Big Bang says that spiral galaxies shouldn't exist that early in the evolution of the universe, but galaxy BX442 does, and it's a genuine spiral galaxy, not an illusion.

Researchers were imaging some 300 galaxies and all the others in the lot were irregularly shaped, consistent with the Big Bang model. However, BX442's shape is spiral, much like our own galaxy, the Milky Way, which is thought to be a "barred spiral" galaxy.

BX442 is approximately 10 billion light years from Earth, which means it took that long for its light to reach observers here. Therefore, researchers studying the image of BX442 are seeing the galaxy as it actually was 10 billion years ago.

As for the Big Bang, scientists aren't ready to rewrite the books yet, but they have some explaining to do.

Scientists must always allow for the possibility, no matter how remote, that new evidence could change what they think to be true. Therefore, in humble deference to that idea, they never refer to their conclusions as facts, but rather as theories. Nonetheless, a theory is often (quite rightly) equated with fact in lay scientific circles. For example, scientists consider gravity, which we all take for fact, as a theory.

So, does the existence of BX442 represent new evidence that could unravel the Big Bang theory?

The Big Bang theory of the origin of the universe was first proposed by Georges Lemaitre, a Catholic priest and astrophysicist at the Catholic University of Louvain. Since his proposal in 1927, the theory has been repeatedly tested and developed. Those tests have suggested that the theory is accurate.

However, BX442 suggests that either the galaxy is an observational anomaly, something researchers believe they have already ruled out, or that there is some component of the theory that needs adjusting. But most likely, the researchers in charge of the study speculate the galaxy may have its premature spiral shape because of a nearby companion galaxy that could be shaping it into a spiral pattern long before it would naturally develop.

Indeed, this is the most likely explanation. Gravity travels in waves throughout the universe and the spiral arms of galaxies are actually visible evidence of those waves. However, BX442 will need more study to verify that gravity, and not something else, is the culprit.

And of course, scientists will need to look for other exceptions to the rule. If an inexplicable and significant number of premature spirals are found, then the Big Bang theory will need to be rewritten, or disposed of altogether, no matter how beloved it is today. After all, it is just a theory.

� 2012, Distributed by NEWS CONSORTIUM.

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Pope Benedict XVI's Prayer Intentions for January 2013
General Intention: The Faith of Christians. That in this Year of Faith Christians may deepen their knowledge of the mystery of Christ and witness joyfully to the gift of faith in him.
Missionary Intention: Middle Eastern Christians. That the Christian communities of the Middle East, often discriminated against, may receive from the Holy Spirit the strength of fidelity and perseverance.

Keywords: BX442, galaxy, Big Bang theory, universe

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1 - 10 of 15 Comments

jimman
9 months ago
big bang therey cannot work because the throy sad matter come form nothing. law of thermodynamic sad matter cannot be created or destroyed. dating the age of the universe is impossible when you factor how fast space aka gravity can move with it self. gravity can move faster than the speed of light. it is how a warp drive works. if you make a wave of space time you can serf on it. the wave can travel faster than the speed of light. when matter is on that wave the clock on the matter click at the same rate as on the earth. and the object does not move it space is doing the moving. the expansion of the universe can happen relay fast it could only take a few days for the universe to expand
Judy Claar
9 months ago
Juneau Alaska, Mike, Good Grief! The article is not as bad as you say it is. She does not sound like she's groping for straws to try prove the existence of God! She sounds like she is trying to be a good journalist. I was a journalist on the ole college paper. It can be quite challenging. Listen to an Irish mum, "Me thinks you and Jesse need to get out a bit! Ha!
Blessings to ya...
Jesse
9 months ago
There is no mystery here, the galaxy was formed because of the gravity of the neighboring dwarf galaxy 10 billion years ago. The research has been done, we know what happened. Big bang theory is doing just fine. This article is desperate to find God in insignificant scientific gaps. So desperate, in fact, it sounds as if the author is trying to convince himself that God exists.
Juneau Alaska
10 months ago
Oh good grief. What a ridiculous article. One more author I won't be reading anytime soon.

Mike
robert matzinger
10 months ago
It also may turn out that this galaxy is not as distant as it appears to be.
Robert Lucero
10 months ago
In view of all that we think we know, this stands out clearly: We don't really know very much. God is in control ... always was, is now and ever will be. He gave us our minds to use for good or bad (hopefully good) and we are inclined to use this gift on many things. All theories are just "old hypotheses" that have been around for a long time. They have been supported as valid throughout many years. That does not mean they are immune from change or total rejection if new information comes up. Let's try to understand that we won't ever really know anything so let's enjoy the ride as we try to. All things happen according to God's will or His permission. We are not in control of very much...even our senses can be fooled. We are made of the dust of the earth (C, H, O, and N). So remember on Ash Wednesday when you are told that you are dust and unto dust you shall return; you really are dust. Those same substances that are on the earth's crust make up most of your body. You ever notice that all the so-called important theories have areas where they break down? It is like trying to build a wall with faulty bricks. I don't mean to say we should not try, but understand we will never know everything. There are many conditions under which our "knowledge" has yet to be tested.
Ron D
10 months ago
Galaxy BX442 is under intelligent control so that's how it got there.
Judy Claar
10 months ago
NICK. Thank you for the explanation. Short and to the point. It was very good.I am sure a lot of people enjoyed it, as did I. We should Not fear science or the unknown. Every time something like this happens, it just reaffirms how Great God is. We only get to see a portion of his Creativeness, and it is Awesome! Science and Religion should wed (humanly speaking of course!). Like I sometimes say about a theory, "Everybody has one". 'Tis Beautiful! Blessings...
DarthJ
10 months ago
It's really unraveling it in the sense that it exposes the Big Bang's errors.
S. Wu
10 months ago
I think this attacks the character of the orator/institution making the argument rather than the argument itself.
The article concludes by saying as much.

"And of course, scientists will need to look for other exceptions to the rule. If an inexplicable and significant number of premature spirals are found, then the Big Bang theory will need to be rewritten, or disposed of altogether, no matter how beloved it is today."

Yes- that's the scientific method you're supporting, in a nutshell; develop theories and models based on our best interpretation of the available evidence.

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