Changes

Now there have been a few careful investigations of whether the [[fine structure constant]], α, could have changed slightly.  These involve examination of spectra from very distant stars, and examination of the isotopic mix of the fission products from the Oklo event.  But these results are speculative and far from convincing.

Now there have been a few careful investigations of whether the [[fine structure constant]], α, could have changed slightly.  These involve examination of spectra from very distant stars, and examination of the isotopic mix of the fission products from the Oklo event.  But these results are speculative and far from convincing.

Some Fundamentalists and Creationists posit a serious decline in the speed of light over the eons, but these are typically in the context of a view of the universe that is radically different from the accepted view.  For example, some suggest that the Earth was in some kind of "time dilation field", sometimes gravitationally caused, for some period of time.  These theories are rarely found outside of Fundamentalist web sites<ref>http://creation.com/speed-of-light-slowing-down-after-all</ref>.

Some Fundamentalists and Creationists posit a serious decline in the speed of light over the eons, but these are typically in the context of a view of the universe that is radically different from the accepted view.  For example, some suggest that the Earth was in some kind of "time dilation field", sometimes gravitationally caused, for some period of time.  These theories are rarely found outside of Fundamentalist web sites<ref>https://creation.com/speed-of-light-slowing-down-after-all</ref>.

Theories of serious decline in the speed of light are often called [[C decay]].  One of the proponents of this, [[Barry Setterfield]], suggests the use of different time scales, an "atomic" scale and a "gravitational" one, to get the effect.  He published graphs showing the consequent C decay, with the curves conveniently converging to the modern value, always just in time to  stay within the ever-increasing precision of measurements, and then extrapolated backward over many orders of magnitude.  Interestingly, his redefinition of the time scale meant abandoning the "Young Earth" theory and accepting an age of the universe close to the scientifically accepted value of about 13 billion years.

Theories of serious decline in the speed of light are often called [[C decay]].  One of the proponents of this, [[Barry Setterfield]], suggests the use of different time scales, an "atomic" scale and a "gravitational" one, to get the effect.  He published graphs showing the consequent C decay, with the curves conveniently converging to the modern value, always just in time to  stay within the ever-increasing precision of measurements, and then extrapolated backward over many orders of magnitude.  Interestingly, his redefinition of the time scale meant abandoning the "Young Earth" theory and accepting an age of the universe close to the scientifically accepted value of about 13 billion years.