This may seem like a silly post Nebula, because it would go against all of the things we have been taught, but it is something that has been on my mind for some time. We know that God created the sun, the moon and the stars, and that they are all separate creations. Scientists teach that the sun is a star. What if they are wrong? Nobody has been able to travel to any of the distant stars, so all we can do is speculate that they are suns. We have telescopes, and we have various methods to try to determine the distance we are from various stars, but all of that is based on our assumption that the stars are suns, and that they all have planets revolving around them. Do you think it is possible that the sun is not a star?

As I said earlier, I know this is pretty far out, but I am a bit of a skeptic when it comes to anything we cannot actually see up close. If the sun is not a star, that would mean all of this "Star Trek" mentality about the potential for all types of life forms on earths orbiting other suns would be invalid. It would mean that the only actual planets are those traveling around our sun, and the idea that there was any life out there would be little to none.

Interesting question, Butero. One I don't have an answer for. :huh:

I do know that science has used the Hubble and other telescopes to observe and measure the various wavelengths of light stars other than ours give off. There are supposed to be many stars similar to the sun in the wavelengths of radiation they give off. If the other "stars" are not really stars, then what would they be called do you think?

I'm not even going to ask what else they might be. :D All I know is that the Bible calls them "lights" in some translations.

Is the Sun just another star, or is it unique?

Before I answer, let me first explain some history.

When it comes to understanding science, the key is to understand that it is a puzzle, and we just trying to put the pieces together and see what we come up with. If the combo seems to fit, we go with it; if not, we reject it. Granted, it gets more complicated than that, but this is the idea.

So what of the Sun and stars?

Firstly we call them "Sun" and "stars" because those are the names passed down to us. (I've been in a science discussion about how the Sun and Moon should have a name the way the other bodies of the universe do. But it seems as if "Sun" and "Moon" are their names, at least in English. This is why they are capitalized by some people.)

So, they studied the Sun and discovered certain properties. Then they studied the stars and discovered those same properties. From there it was concluded that they were the same thing (same material, same properties, etc.)

One thing to note about stars is that their are different spectral classes. These classes have been labeled: O, B, A, F, G, K, M (I know, you'd think they'd have come up with something better!). The O stars are the largest, brightest blue stars. The M stars the smallest, faint red stars.

In studying the stars this way, the sun shared the characteristics and traits of the G stars. G stars are yellow to white in color, for instance (the other traits would take some explaining...i.e. absorption lines of metals). All G stars have been measured to have the same weight and size range as well, and the calculations show our Sun to be in those ranges as well.

Please do not, at this point, try to argue that the measurements are wrong unless you understand how the measurements were taken and can argue against them from that understanding, OK? I've taken a class on this, and I found that it is pretty amazing how light has been studied and applied!

So, when they say that the Sun is a star, it's because "the shoe fits."

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If you want to read up more on the star classifications click here
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Now about for your concern - is the Sun "just another star" or is it unique?

This is actually a question that some astronomers have debated among themselves, and I don't believe it is resolved.

You see, based on what knowledge we have on the stars, their temperatures and their lifespans (the large blue stars appear to have a shorter life than the smaller, cooler stars...because they burn out quicker - the way driving fast uses up gas quicker than driving slow), it has been determined that only G stars are capable of supporting life as we know it.

So whether or not other stars have planets or not, not all can support life.


At this point, let me save myself some effort and point you to what has been presented on this:

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[b]Is the Sun unique as a star—and if so, why?

B Gustafsson 2008 Phys. Scr. T130 014036 (6pp); Department of Astronomy and Space Physics, Uppsala University

Abstract. The question whether the Sun is peculiar as compared with other stars in its neigbourhood is revisited. It is concluded that although the Sun is rather normal from many points of view, it departs in several respects from most stars of similar age and galactic orbit. Thus, it is more massive, and the amplitude of the micro-variability of the Sun at visual wavelengths seems unusually small. It also departs from most stars in being a single star, and it may have an unusual planetary system. There are some tentative indications that its chemical composition departs from those of most solar-type stars of similar age. This is discussed and the departures are found not to be significant. I discuss here to what extent these peculiarities may be understood in terms of it being a planet host.

Source

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Is the Sun and Average Star?

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OK, so there are some alternative perspectives to show you what I mean.


Hopefully, this will make sense to you.


Now, as for your bottom line concern about life existing around other stars? That's a new post for later.

I need to make some breakfast!

Thanks Nebula. That was very helpful. <<tmbup>>

Neb, are you, Young Earth, Old Earth?

You're welcome!


Now, to try to briefly discuss the "life" issue...


It is not easy to detect other planets around other stars. But they have managed to figure out some rudimentary ways to do this.

But, so far, the methods are only able to detect planets the size of the gas giants in our solar system (they can't detect rocky planets - like Earth, Mars, Venus, Mercury).

Oddly, though, the measurements and calculations indicate that these gas giants are closer in to the star (their sun) - within the range that Earth is to our Sun.

Only once have I read an article where someone tried to critically analyze the situation and speculate that maybe our solar system truly is unique. After all, the only reference we have to understanding solar systems is our own. Yet, the little info that we can gain on other planets seems to indicate that things aren't the same.

Granted, though, we've only just begun discovering the existence of planets around other stars, and the data we have is too minute to draw any real conclusions.

Personally, though, I believe scientists want so bad to find life out there that they almost can't acknowledge challenges to the contrary, and even make excuses for shortcomings.

You can't convince them of this, though. Remember, these things are filling the "religious void" in their spirits - which of course they don't believe they have! But if you consider the role religion takes in a person's life, these things truly do fulfill this role (but I know I am preaching to the choir here). The point is, "religion" is our most valued possession, and we guard it tooth and nail (I say this based on observation). So, of course, the belief that we will find other worlds "just like Earth" is not just a concept that someone has calculated to be viable (relatively speaking slim, but still enough to be mathematically possible), but it is a hope, a dream, a priority, a fulfillment, etc.


Personally, I'm OK with the idea that God may have created some form of life on other astronomical bodies. After all, what is the purpose of His having created other galaxies? I can't answer that. So, what if He decided to put some bacteria on Mars? to me, it's the same. I think it would be cool to find something like bacteria elsewhere . . . that's the science geek in me. But from my spiritual perspective, I hope they don't just because they need to find life in order to strengthen their false religion.


I hope that helps?