Earth's magnetic field has been weakening at a faster rate, about 10 times faster according to new data from the European Space Agency Swarm satellites.
Scientists are not sure why the magnetic field is weakening, but one reason could be that the magnetic poles are about to shift. Magnetic field and currents near Earth (pictured) generate complex forces, but exactly how it is generated and why it changes is not yet fully understood.
Photo and text are from the Daily Mail, UK.
It was previously believed that the field was weakening by about 5 percent each century, but the new data shows a much more pronounced weakening of 5 percent per decade — 10 times faster than previously thought. The new data come from a trio of satellites collectively known as Swarm, launched by the ESA in November 2013.
This news has been picked up all over science and tech sites recently, like in this article from The Weather Channel. What's the value of this magnetic field, anyway? Quite simply - it protects our planet and all living creatures from the sun's radiation. Without it, life on Earth as we know it would not be possible. And we all know how the magnetic north has been an enabler for sea navigation and global travel. Serious hikers, even with the advent of smartphones with built in GPS units, will still stick a back-up magnetic compass in their back-packs. And it's been discovered that homing pigeons have magnetoreceptors that enable them to detect and read the Earth's magnetic field like a map.
So what's the implication for the rapid decay of Earth's magnetic field? Not much really, if you rely on news like that from The Weather Channel. It just means the magnetic poles are ready to flip. The article says that the poles reverse on average, once every 200,000 to 300,000 years, according to NASA. It’s been about 780,000 years since the last flip. Also, this flip wouldn't happen soon but could still take a few hundred to a few thousand years, and there is no indication that life on Earth will be harmed by the pole reversal. But is this all true?
Swarm is ESA's first Earth observation constellation of satellites. Two satellites or it almost side-by-side at the same altitude - initially at about 460 km - while the third satellite is in a higher orbit of 520 km.
Photo and text, plus more info available on Swarm, from the Daily Mail, UK..
Is this "All fine and dandy" stance, status quo and business-as-usual positioning all okay? Most readers will be caught unaware that the usual switcheroo has happened where a science article starts from the realm of data, reality and observational science, and moves into a world of assumptions, origins and historical science, and conclusions based on biases and worldviews.
What are the unstated assumptions in the "everything's fine" conclusions?
(1) Pole reversals every 200,000 to 300,000 years. The last one happened 780,000 years ago. No one was around to observe and measure these. Measurements of the Earths magnetic field started in 1845. The assumptions on when pole reversals happened are based on geologic studies laden with old-Earth assumptions, and bear the mark of a bias for belief in the Earth being much older than 780,000 years. Proponents of Evolutionary thinking say he Earth is 4+ Billion years old, so it's right along this alley. But nothing in the new data supports this.
(2) The article implies that once the pole reversal happens, the strength of the magnetic field will be restored, and life will carry on as usual. There is no mention of a continuous decay of the magnetic field, eventually stripping the planet of its protective shield against solar radiation, killing off all people, animals and plants. This is unmentioned support of the current belief in the dynamo model, which is theoretical, unproven, and actually contradicts some basic laws of physics. The dynamo model however, allows proponents to uphold belief in an ancient self-sustained Earth, rather than accept a recently-created Earth that fits more closely to the Biblical account.
Creationists have proposed that the earth’s magnetic field is caused by a freely decaying electric current in the earth’s core. (Old-earth scientists are forced to adopt a theoretical, self-sustaining process known as the dynamo model, which contradicts some basic laws of physics.) Reliable, accurate, published geological field data have emphatically confirmed this young-earth model. Figure and text are from Answers In Genesis.
(3) The last pole reversal was 780,000 years ago, and pole reversals have no harmful effect in life. The Weather Channel article is here supporting the evolutionary timetable of the development of life on Earth. However, if the strength of the magnetic field was extrapolated to just 20,000 years, it is estimated that life would not be possible simply because the Earth would be too hot! So in fact, the observed and measured decay of the magnetic field is a strong argument for believing in a young Earth, consistent with the Biblical account. And with the decay rate now estimated at a higher level, this makes the argument even more pronounced!
Here is another link to a more technical article in how the decay if the magnetic field points to God and Biblical creation.
So what is the conclusion? Is everything A-Okay? Nothing to worry about? I would argue that this new data on the rapidly decaying magnetic field calls attention to a created Earth. And if created, then there is a Creator.
If you can sleep tonight knowing that if you passed away in your sleep, you can face your Creator and look forward to eternal life in Heaven, then yes, everything is fine and dandy!
But if you can't sleep with that peace - then this should be a wake-up call. Find out God's Way To Heaven. Then settle the issue. This will change your life. Let me know if you have questions, leave a comment. I will gladly answer them.
Bye for now.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Scientists are not sure why the magnetic field is weakening, but one reason could be that the magnetic poles are about to shift. Magnetic field and currents near Earth (pictured) generate complex forces, but exactly how it is generated and why it changes is not yet fully understood.
Photo and text are from the Daily Mail, UK.
It was previously believed that the field was weakening by about 5 percent each century, but the new data shows a much more pronounced weakening of 5 percent per decade — 10 times faster than previously thought. The new data come from a trio of satellites collectively known as Swarm, launched by the ESA in November 2013.
This news has been picked up all over science and tech sites recently, like in this article from The Weather Channel. What's the value of this magnetic field, anyway? Quite simply - it protects our planet and all living creatures from the sun's radiation. Without it, life on Earth as we know it would not be possible. And we all know how the magnetic north has been an enabler for sea navigation and global travel. Serious hikers, even with the advent of smartphones with built in GPS units, will still stick a back-up magnetic compass in their back-packs. And it's been discovered that homing pigeons have magnetoreceptors that enable them to detect and read the Earth's magnetic field like a map.
So what's the implication for the rapid decay of Earth's magnetic field? Not much really, if you rely on news like that from The Weather Channel. It just means the magnetic poles are ready to flip. The article says that the poles reverse on average, once every 200,000 to 300,000 years, according to NASA. It’s been about 780,000 years since the last flip. Also, this flip wouldn't happen soon but could still take a few hundred to a few thousand years, and there is no indication that life on Earth will be harmed by the pole reversal. But is this all true?
Swarm is ESA's first Earth observation constellation of satellites. Two satellites or it almost side-by-side at the same altitude - initially at about 460 km - while the third satellite is in a higher orbit of 520 km.
Photo and text, plus more info available on Swarm, from the Daily Mail, UK..
Is this "All fine and dandy" stance, status quo and business-as-usual positioning all okay? Most readers will be caught unaware that the usual switcheroo has happened where a science article starts from the realm of data, reality and observational science, and moves into a world of assumptions, origins and historical science, and conclusions based on biases and worldviews.
What are the unstated assumptions in the "everything's fine" conclusions?
(1) Pole reversals every 200,000 to 300,000 years. The last one happened 780,000 years ago. No one was around to observe and measure these. Measurements of the Earths magnetic field started in 1845. The assumptions on when pole reversals happened are based on geologic studies laden with old-Earth assumptions, and bear the mark of a bias for belief in the Earth being much older than 780,000 years. Proponents of Evolutionary thinking say he Earth is 4+ Billion years old, so it's right along this alley. But nothing in the new data supports this.
(2) The article implies that once the pole reversal happens, the strength of the magnetic field will be restored, and life will carry on as usual. There is no mention of a continuous decay of the magnetic field, eventually stripping the planet of its protective shield against solar radiation, killing off all people, animals and plants. This is unmentioned support of the current belief in the dynamo model, which is theoretical, unproven, and actually contradicts some basic laws of physics. The dynamo model however, allows proponents to uphold belief in an ancient self-sustained Earth, rather than accept a recently-created Earth that fits more closely to the Biblical account.
Creationists have proposed that the earth’s magnetic field is caused by a freely decaying electric current in the earth’s core. (Old-earth scientists are forced to adopt a theoretical, self-sustaining process known as the dynamo model, which contradicts some basic laws of physics.) Reliable, accurate, published geological field data have emphatically confirmed this young-earth model. Figure and text are from Answers In Genesis.
(3) The last pole reversal was 780,000 years ago, and pole reversals have no harmful effect in life. The Weather Channel article is here supporting the evolutionary timetable of the development of life on Earth. However, if the strength of the magnetic field was extrapolated to just 20,000 years, it is estimated that life would not be possible simply because the Earth would be too hot! So in fact, the observed and measured decay of the magnetic field is a strong argument for believing in a young Earth, consistent with the Biblical account. And with the decay rate now estimated at a higher level, this makes the argument even more pronounced!
Here is another link to a more technical article in how the decay if the magnetic field points to God and Biblical creation.
So what is the conclusion? Is everything A-Okay? Nothing to worry about? I would argue that this new data on the rapidly decaying magnetic field calls attention to a created Earth. And if created, then there is a Creator.
If you can sleep tonight knowing that if you passed away in your sleep, you can face your Creator and look forward to eternal life in Heaven, then yes, everything is fine and dandy!
But if you can't sleep with that peace - then this should be a wake-up call. Find out God's Way To Heaven. Then settle the issue. This will change your life. Let me know if you have questions, leave a comment. I will gladly answer them.
Bye for now.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
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