Into the Vastness

Seeking God in Einstein’s Universe : Seeking God in Einstein’s Universe Aileen A. O’Donoghue Into the Vastness


Why God & Einstein? : Why God & Einstein? My personal journey trying to make sense of the universe that I am in love with Intellectual Journey love of nature drove me to study forestry then geology, then astronomy and physics Spiritual Journey have a nagging sense of “who-ness” to the universe … a sense of relationship with a higher, loving intelligence


This SOAR Coarse : This SOAR Coarse Some of the incredible wonders we’ve discovered about our universe: Scale of things Origins of the elements we’re made of Origin & evolution of the universe Weirdness of matter & energy How I connect these to my sense of God How weird is God? What can we know about God? What do others say about God?


This SOAR Coarse : This SOAR Coarse 9/7: Into the Vastness A bit about my journey Discussion of your interests Why are you here? What do you hope for? Cosmic scales of space & time 9/14: In the Beginning Origin & Evolution of the universe 9/21: The Substance of Ourselves Origin of elements we & Earth are made of 9/28: The Children of Earth History of Earth & Life


Faith and Science : Faith and Science Can science and faith be integrated within? SCIENCE – data, questioning, challenging FAITH – transient, ineffable experiences of us and others throughout history that can’t be reproduced or challenged. Current US culture says “no”. Because faith is defined as literalist & fundamentalist? Vatican Observatory says “yes”. Staffed by scientist/priests since 1582 But can the world views be integrated?


Define Science and Religion : Define Science and Religion Define science Systematic study of the sensory universe Based on reproducible data Define faith A gift Religious/Spiritual experiences come unbidden We don’t have to invent everything for ourselves A decision Experiences can be interpreted as interactions with God OR as coincidence, accident, etc. Not contrary to reason Faith in God  belief in magic Faith is not (or need not be) blind or stupid … but we must examine what we’re given!


Faith is A Gift : Faith is A Gift A sense of a “whoness” to the universe Unbidden, difficult to deny Grew up in a Catholic family Learned the rituals Learned the prayers Learned some of the tradition Sense of a whoness affirmed … imprinted? Found the Church (big C) hooey Didn’t follow its own teachings Seemed stuck in middle ages sexism, hierarchy, costumes … Taught rules, not the spiritual journey


Faith is a Decision : Faith is a Decision Left Church when I left for college Attributed my sense of whoness to nature Lost need for God to create the universe or us Laws of physics, chemistry & biology enough Lost belief in God Sense of whoness = brain damage due to childhood exposure to incense Tried to ignore it, deny it as “unscientific”


Faith is a Decision : Faith is a Decision Found “Godless” universe too lonely The “imprinting” of a Catholic childhood? A character flaw? Read & thought about the question (secretly!) Realized great minds come down on both sides No absolutely compelling argument either way Realized I could choose to believe that my sense of whoness was a sense of God.


Faith is not Contrary to Reason : Faith is not Contrary to Reason Does not require Disregarding personal experience of the world Believing that laws of nature get suspended The universe is weird! Weird enough for light to be particle & wave at the same time! Weird enough for me to exist May be weird enough for God to exist God is clever! … and I’m fairly weird! … so how weird is God?


God as Creator : God as Creator An astronomer’s puzzle … Universe


AOD’s View of S & R : AOD’s View of S & R Both are seeking “truth” Seeking understanding of the universe Exterior world = science Interior world = faith Both require human community Experiments can be done alone in a basement Science requires testing, challenging and vetting by the scientific community Spiritual experiences can be had alone anywhere Faith, seeking truth, requires reflecting, analyzing, comparing one’s experience with others’ Both science and religion can produce kooks in the absence of skeptical community!


AOD’s View of S & R : AOD’s View of S & R Science and religion are ways of trying to figure out the universe Both science and religion require Questioning the data Testing the conclusions Open inquiry Realistic skepticism Both science and religion require Faith … … in the reality of our experience


Comments & Discussion : Comments & Discussion


Population of the Cosmos : Population of the Cosmos ~100 Billion Galaxies = 1011 Galaxies ~ 100 Billion Stars in each galaxy = (1011 stars)(1011 Galaxies) = 1022 stars ~ 10 planets around each star = 1023 planets … potentially lots of company, but it’s very far away!


Scale of the Cosmos : Earth-Moon Distance 250,000 miles Earth-Sun Distance 93,000,000 mi = 1 AU Closest other star 4 ly = 4(63,200 AU) (1 ly = 6x1012 mi) Milky Way Diameter 100,000 ly Nearest Galaxy 2,000,000 ly Farthest Galaxy 13.23 Billion ly Scale of the Cosmos


Universe Mostly Empty Space : Universe Mostly Empty Space For proton = golf ball electrons 300 yards away (1800 times smaller) Sun is 100 times size of Earth squeeze out space between atoms  Sun is size of Earth (12,756 km = 7,926 mi) squeeze out space within atoms  Sun is 10 km (6.2 miles) in diameter  0.0008% of the sun is matter!


Motion of Earth : Motion of Earth Rotation on axis vEquator ~ 1000 mph, vCanton ~ 700 mph Orbit about Sol vEarth ~ 70,000 mph Orbit about center of Milky Way vSun ~ 560,000 mph Milky Way in Local Group vMW ~ 280,000 mph Local Group falling toward Virgo Cluster vLG ~ 1,750,000 mph


Solar System : Solar System Inner Worlds: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars Positions at 17:00 UT, 1/23/04


Solar System : Solar System Outer Worlds: Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto Positions at 17:00 UT, 1/23/04


Solar System Sizes : Solar System Sizes Sun’s diameter is 100 times Earth’s


Contents of the Solar System : Contents of the Solar System Moons  - Luna M – Phobos, Deimos j – Loads! Io Europa, Ganymede, Callisto t – Loads! Titan, Mimas u – Loads: Miranda n – Loads: Triton


NASA Photojournal : NASA Photojournal


The Milky Way Galaxy : The Milky Way Galaxy ~ 300 Billion Stars, some with planets


The Milky Way Galaxy : The Milky Way Galaxy Sun ~ 30,000 ly from center Galactic Year ~225,000,000 yr (Sol is ~22) M87, a galaxy much like the Milky Way http://www.eso.org/outreach/press-rel/pr-1999/pr-18-99.html


Clusters of Galaxies : Clusters of Galaxies Hundreds to thousands of galaxies bound by gravity Galaxies act as gravitational lenses for more distant galaxies!


Clusters of Galaxies : Clusters of Galaxies Gravitational Lenses Light is bent by gravity of intervening galaxy Distributed mass creates arcs & smudges


Clusters of Galaxies : Clusters of Galaxies Sol is in the “Local Group” part of Virgo Supercluster


Fate of the Milky Way : Fate of the Milky Way Andromeda Galaxy & MW approaching will meet in about 2 billion years


Fate of the Milky Way : Fate of the Milky Way Sun likely to fly off in gravitational tide


The Sky Tonight : The Sky Tonight


The Sky Tonight : The Sky Tonight Observing Opportunities: Tuesdays ~9:15 pm when it’s clear TONIGHT: 9 pm (with telescope)