Goldilocks, Earth and Rotation


It is baffling why some people are so concerned about how the possibility of life on other planets affects biblical creationism. They will ask, "What will that do to your view of the Bible?" This kind of question gets ahead of itself, and I wonder if these people have any idea what is involved in the studies of exoplanets in the first place. It's not like they're across town, or even a three-day flight from Earth.

First, scientists have to find a suitable planet that may be in the habitable zone. Then, through processes as yet unknown, they must find out if there is life on that planet. After that, it needs to be determined if there is intelligent life on it. So, don't be trying to overturn God's written Word with "what ifs" and assumptions.

Speaking of the habitable zone, there are many exoplanets but so far, none have fit the criteria. Too big, too small, too close to their sun, too far away, wrong composition, combinations of factors... To make matters worse, the rotation of the planet may also be an important factor. (In typical evolutionary desperation, some scientists say that because Venus is cloudy, it must have rotated faster in the past. Evidence, please?) The more astronomers and cosmologists find, the more it seems that Earth was put where it is (the "Goldilocks" or "Just Right" place) by the Creator.
Life can’t exist on a planet that rotates too fast or slow. This is another Goldilocks problem for astrobiologists to consider.

NASA’s Astrobiology Magazine has added another factor to habitability: planetary rotation. In “Rotation of Planets Influences Habitability,” Amanda Doyle reports on findings from a paper on the arXiv server scheduled for Astrophysical Journal Letters. After giving the usual definition of the habitable zone as the inner and outer radius around a star where liquid water can exist, she complicates things:
You can read the rest by clicking on "Planet Rotation Limits Habitability".