Variances in Solar Geometry
Solar geometry unveils some fascinating relationships among the planets of our solar system. The relationships seem too unusual to be the result of chance, but are they evidence of Divine design?
The most significant objection to this proposition would be the simple fact that the calculated planetary relationships are not in precise agreement with the actual positions of the planets. These differences are summarized below:
| Planet | Published distance from the sun in km (000) |
Relative distance from Sun, where Mercury=1 |
Alan Bennett’s Calculated Value |
Degree of Variance |
| Mercury | 57,910 | 1.0000 | 1.0000 | 0.00000 |
| Venus | 108,200 | 1.8684 | 1.8660 | 0.00128 |
| Earth | 149,600 | 2.5833 | 2.5833 | 0.00000 |
| Mars | 227,940 | 3.9361 | 3.9365 | -0.00009 |
| Jupiter | 778,330 | 13.4403 | 13.4399 | 0.00003 |
Following are some potential explanations for these small, but noted, variances:
- Orbits may have shifted over time from the creation of the solar system, either due to orbital decay or the gravitational influence of other solar bodies.
- As with life itself, even though the human body is based on the golden section, there are small variations that keep even the most perfectly proportioned body from agreeing exactly with the mathematical model.
- Current solar system measurements may not be exact in themselves. The distances are only expressed to four or five significant digits and even the orbital distances and periods published by NASA are not entirely accurate, as demonstrated by the variances that result when applying Kepler’s Third Law to the data.
If you explore the scriptures, you find that God gives us a choice in seeking Him. There is always an element of faith required, and faith is unnecessary if the evidence given us left no choice but to attribute it to God. Perhaps that is why the information is clear to those who chose to see it, but unconvincing to those who chose to not.
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This is why I speak to them in parables: “Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand. In them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah: “‘You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving.” (Matthew 13:13-14)