Dark Matter Verdict Buttresses Creation Model

Imagine yourself in a courtroom with RTB astrophysicist Jeff Zweerink playing the role of attorney.

Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, today I present compelling evidence confirming a key component of RTB’s cosmic creation model: dark matter does indeed exist. This mysterious dark matter, constituting about 25% of the universe, has proven remarkably difficult to study since it emits no detectable electromagnetic radiation-no radio waves, no visible light, no x-rays, etc.

Even with this difficulty, scientists have discovered several physical phenomena providing evidence for dark matter’s existence: galaxy rotation curves, velocities of galaxies in clusters, and gravitational lensing (where light from a distant source is “bent” around an object into one or more images) of light from distant galaxy clusters. However, those arguing against the existence of dark matter have developed models that apparently account for this observational data. To properly evaluate these alternative models, you must remember one key point. While these models’ gravitational interaction differs from the generally accepted predictions of general relativity, the gravitational field still coincides with the location of the visible mass-for example, the x-ray-emitting gas of a galaxy cluster.

In August 2006, NASA astronomers released observations, which I submit as exhibit A, that refute these alternative models. Using premier optical and x-ray telescopes, scientists observed a collision between two distant clusters of galaxies.1

Dark matter models predict that during the collision, friction would slow down the intercluster gas, whereas the dark matter would continue largely unimpeded. Consequently, the locations of the x-ray-emitting gas should not correspond to the location of the mass causing the gravitational lensing, in contrast to non-dark-matter model predictions.

I submit to you these compelling results showing that the galaxy cluster gas location (red) clearly does not align with the location of the mass responsible for the gravitational lensing (blue). Further, this responsible mass does not emit x-rays, visible light, or any other detectable electromagnetic radiation.

In closing, bear in mind that big bang cosmology echoes the biblical description of the universe, in which the cosmos continually expands after the creation event. However, scientific discoveries demonstrate that the initially smooth, homogeneous early universe could not have produced the galaxies and clusters of galaxies seen today without a fine-tuned amount of dark matter. The results presented here make the verdict obvious: dark matter exists and its existence further solidifies the scientific foundation of RTB’s cosmic creation model. This model incorporates big bang cosmology and posits the work of a supernatural Designer who created and fine-tuned the cosmos to support life.