SN 1987A
Jerry D. McDonald

One of the main arguments that evolutionists think that is so convincing, that the universe is billions of years old, is SN 1987A which stands for the explosion of the star SK 69^o 202  which was detected in 1987.  This supernova exploded, according to evolutionists, 168,000 years ago and we just saw it in 1987.  In the book Astronomy Today , Chaisson and McMillian wrote:

"About 20 hours before the supernova was detected optically, a brief (13 second) burst of neutrinos was simultaneously recorded by underground detectors in Japan and the United States. (Sec. 16.7)  As discussed in the text, the neutrinos are predicted to arise when electrons and protons in the star's collapsing core merge to form neutrons.  the neutrinos preceded the light because they escaped  during the collapse, whereas the first light of the explosion was emitted only after the supernova shock had plowed through the body of the star to the surface.  In fact, theoretical models consistent with these observations suggested that vastly more energy was emitted in the form of neutrinos than in any other form.  The supernova's neutrino luminosity has many tens of thousands of times greater than its optical energy output.

Despite some unresolved details in SN 1987A's behavior, the detection of the neutrino pulse is considered to be a brilliant confirmation of theory.  This singular event--the detection of the neutrinos--may well herald a new age of astronomy.  For the first time, astronomers have received information from a specific body beyond our solar system by radiation outside the electromagnetic spectrum.

Theory predicts that the expanding remnant of SN 1987A is now on the verge of being resolvable by optical telescopes.  the accompanying photographs show the barely resolved remnant (at the right) surrounded by a much larger shell of glowing gas (in yellow).  Scientists reason that the progenitor of the supernova expelled this shell during its red-giant phase, some 40,000 years before the explosion " (p. 563).

Evolutionists argue that because this star is 168,000 light years from earth that it had to take 168,000 years for the light to reach us which took place in 1987, and looking at it with the same bias, they claim that the gas ring was expelled 40,000 years before the star went supernova.  This is what some call "The Smoking Gun" for the evolutionary theory: If the star is 168,000 light years from earth then it would have taken 168,000 years for the light to reach earth, and the same would be said of the 40,000 year difference of the expulsion of the gas ring.  In their mind there is no other explanation.  When creationists try to get them to see that there are alternatives they sneer at us and say that we are unscientific.  What follows is a model and an explanation of the model as given by physicist Dr. Russell Humphreys, which gives us good reason to believe that though SK 69^o 202 is somewhere in the neighborhood of 168,000 light years from earth, that we would have seen it far sooner than evolutionists want us to think.

It must be remembered that the evolutionist assumption is everything evoloved naturally over a long period of time.  And if we assume this then we would have to agree with them.  However, God is not a natural being, he is a supernatural being and he has interveined supernaturally in times gone by.  His creation of the universe was supernaturally, which means that he superceeded nature to bring the universe into existence.   In Dr. Humphreys model we can see that God superceded nature in bringing this light closer to us before the star exploded and we were able to see it in 1987.  You notice that the "40,000 years" is highlighted in the above quotation.  This is done to show that looking at it purely from a naturalistic standpoint one could say that the rings had been there for 40,000 years, but looking at it from a supernatural standpoint we can see that it isn't necessarily this way. The evolutionist looks at it strictly from a natural standpoint while the creationist looks at it from a supernatural standpoint.

HUMPHREYS' MODEL

Dr. Humphreys, author of the book Starlight and Time has given us this  model of time dilation during the flood, as an explanation of how a star 160,000 or even 170,000 light years from earth could go supernova and the light reach us in less than 6,000 years.  In his explanation (on the CRSnet), of the model, he wrote:

"During the year Noah's clocks recorded he was aboard the ark, the light from the explosion traveled most of the 160,000 light-years of distance to us.  After Noah got out of the ark, the photons carrying the image of the explosion were about 4300 light-years away from the earth.  The visible-light photons (gamma rays and neutrinos were also detected) carrying the image of the explosion finally arrived here in January 1987" (CRSNET@RHETICUS.CUW.EDU Supernova 1987a and Time Dilation, Sat. 10, Nov. 2007, 18:16:02-0700 ).

Then in a later post he wrote: 

"The yellow triangular region at the left above the "4th Day Timeless Zone" represents the 2nd time dilation event during the year of the Genesis flood that I spent a few slides on at the workshop.  I also discussed it in some detail in my two November 3 posts here, "Re: Accelerated Nuclear Decay and Astronomy" and "Flood time dilation, Biblically."  The blue line shows the trajectory of photons reaching earth after the flood.

 

You asked, 'Are you arguing for a great change in the speed of light at the time of the flood ... to get light here quickly?'  --- Yes in the speed of light as measured by Noah's clocks.  The speed of light (or anything else) depends on whose clocks you use.  As measured by clocks outside the yellow time dilation region, no.  By stationary clocks all along the trajectory of the photons reaching us after the flood, the photon speed would be the same boring old 186,000 miles per second.

In this scheme, nearby stars would go on nearly vertical paths through the yellow time dilation region.  Stars in the Magellanic clouds might do so also, depending on how far out I put the apex of the yellow triangle.  But the Andromeda galaxy's nearly vertical path would be outside the time dilation region.  It would experience roughly 500 Myr of rotation and winding-up from the time it emerged out of the 4th day timeless zone to the time it emitted the photons we now see from it.

If the apex of the yellow zone extends beyond the Magellanic clouds, then the star that became Supernova 1987a would have exploded after emerging from the top side of the yellow zone.  Light from the explosion would follow the blue line in my graph.  Noah would have still been aboard the ark, and his clocks would have been ticking slower than clocks outside that zone.  If at that time he could have (somehow) observed the photons from SN1987a, he would have clocked them zooming in at much faster than 186,000 miles per second" (CRSNET@RHETICUS.CUW.EDU Supernova 1987a and Time Dilation, Sun, 11 Nov 2007 16:51:07 -0700).

Below is his diagram model that he discusses above:

(Used by permission, jdm)

From what I can see, this is a very good explanation of how light, from SK 69^o 202 (168,000 light years from earth) after it went supernova, would be detected in 1978 in a universe that is only around 6,000 years of age.  It is one that is clearly explained and easily understood.  Now some might ask the question "Is time dilation theory or is it fact?" and I'll let Danny Faulkner and Dr. Humphreys answer that question: 

"Danny R. Faulkner
a stellar astronomer
drfaulkn@gwm.sc.edu

    Is Time Dilation realty or theory?

      There are a number of experients that verify time dilation.  The most obvious results are those involving the increased life times of normally short-lived particles that move very fast.  We've seen this in particle accelerators, but also in showers of unstable particles from cosmic rays.
Danny" (CRSNET@RHETICUS.CUW.EDU Supernova 1987a and Time Dilation, Mon, 12 Nov 2007 12:13:54 -0500).

"Danny explained it well, Joe.  Time dilation is well-verified by experiments, and now it is a part of some technology.  For example (and counter to some urban myths), the Global,Positioning System (GPS) navigational satellites have to very carefully account for both gravitational time dilation and velocity time dilation in order to provide accurate position information to us on the ground.  Otherwise your Magellan GPS (if you have one) might guide you into North Carolina instead of to the grocery store across town   :o)  Russ" (CRSNET@RHETICUS.CUW.EDU Supernova 1987a and Time Dilation, Mon, 12 Nov 2007 13:55:28 -0700).