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Table
of Contents

Lesson 1
Introduction
Lesson 2
What is astronomy?
Lesson 3
How big is the universe?
Lesson 4
The origin of the universe
Lesson 5
Watching the sky
Lesson 6
Why did God create the heavenly bodies?
Lesson 7
Space exploration
Lesson 8
A Tour of the Solar System
Lesson 9
A Tour of the Solar System—The Sun and the Moon
Lesson 10
Stars and galaxies
Lesson 11
Cosmic Catastrophes
Lesson 12
Catastrophes in the Solar System
Lesson 13
Are there other planets in the Solar System?
Author: Dr. Jonathan Henry

For thousands of years, people have gazed at the night sky and the bright

morning and wondered, ‘What’s out there?’. Our universe is so vast and

awe-inspiring that to learn about it is to learn about ourselves. The

Astronomy Book will show you: 



What long-ago astronomers thought about other worlds

Solar system facts

How constellations relate to astrology

The history of space exploration

Whether black holes exist

The origin and age of the moon

Why Mars doesn’t support life

The composition of stars

Supernova remnants

The myth of star birth

Asteroid legends and the extinction of the dinosaurs

Whether planets outside our solar system could be home to intelligent life

What UFOs are

The age of comets and meteor showers



Hardcover. (Junior High–Adult) 80 pages.

The Astronomy Book
by Dr Jonathan Henry

Lesson 12

Catastrophes in the Solar System

Textbook:

The Astronomy Book

Text:

pp. 60-71

Scripture:

Psalm 8:3
Isaiah 3:18
Psalm 81:3
Isaiah 45:18

Vocabulary Words

  • Shepherd moons
  • Nebular hypothesis
  • Planetary rings
  • Meteor
  • Symmetrical cratering
  • Oort cloud
  • comet

Questions:

  1. Of what are the rings of Saturn composed?
  2. What other planets have rings?
  3. What are asteroids? What does ‘asteroid’ mean?
  4. Do you think the ‘asteroid belt’ between Earth and Mars formed from a planetary explosion? Why or why not?
  5. Why is Mars called the ‘red planet’?
  6. Write an essay answering the question, ‘Was there ever liquid water on Mars?’ (See also our Q&A: Astronomy page for more information.)
  7. What is the underlying reason that people reject the Biblical account that Earth was once covered in water?
  8. What do the catastrophes discussed in this section have in common?
  9. What is the difference between a comet, a meteor, an asteroid and a meteorite?
  10. What do we really see when we see a comet?
  11. What is the ‘Oort Cloud’? Discuss the problems associated with the idea. (See also More problems for the ‘Oort comet cloud’? and Comets and the age of the solar system for additional information.)
  12. Do you think a meteor impact caused the extinction of the dinosaurs? Why or why not? (See also Did a meteor wipe out the dinosaurs? and The Great Dinosaur Extinction Controversy.)
  13. The Astronomy Book discusses at least six aspects of the solar system and universe that confirm the Biblically-based teaching that the creation is a few thousand years old at most. Write a research paper summarizing these and any other astronomical evidence that you can find (see also the Young Age Evidence and Astronomy pages).