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The '''starlight problem''', or '''starlight travel-time problem''' concerns the placement of stars at distances so far from Earth that starlight could not traverse that distance, at its current velocity, in less than the age of the universe.  Yet the light has reached Earth anyway.  This raises a question under any creation-based theory: how did this starlight reach Earth so quickly? This is a major point of interest in the question of an [[Old Earth Creationism | old universe]] vs. [[young earth creationism | young universe]].

The '''starlight problem''', or '''starlight travel-time problem''' concerns the placement of stars at distances so far from Earth that starlight could not traverse that distance, at its current velocity, in less than the age of the universe.  Yet the light has reached Earth anyway.  This raises a question under any creation-based theory, including the [[Big Bang theory]]: how did this starlight reach Earth so quickly? This is a major point of interest in the question of an [[Old Earth Creationism | old universe]] vs. [[young earth creationism | young universe]].

There is no conflict with the description in Genesis, which says, "let there be light, and there was light."  It does not say, "let there be stars to generate light that can illuminate darkness," or "let there be light, and there was darkness that light later reached."

There is no conflict with the description in Genesis, which says, "let there be light, and there was light."  It does not say, "let there be stars to generate light that can illuminate darkness," or "let there be light, and there was darkness that light later reached."

The most likely explanation is that the universe is 13.7 billion years old; the oldest objects visible today are gamma ray bursts over 13 billion light years away.<ref>http://www.cosmosmagazine.com/news/4350/gamma-ray-burst-closest-yet-big-bang</ref> Other possible explanations include the possibility that light traveled faster at higher energies in the past, and/or space has expanded at a rate faster than the speed of light.

There is no way to "date" the age of light observed in the sky, or anywhere else. It is also possible that light traveled faster at higher energies in the past, and/or space has expanded at a rate faster than the speed of light.

[[image:Crab composite cx.jpg|right|thumb|250px|The Crab nebula, a supernova remnant]]

[[image:Crab composite cx.jpg|right|thumb|250px|The Crab nebula, a supernova remnant]]

== Flaws in arguing for an old universe based on starlight ==

== Flaws in arguing for an old universe based on starlight ==

The observation that many stars are millions of light years away is one of ''distance'', not ''time''. Since it takes light one year to travel a distance of one light year, it is possible to view an object as it was in the past, with the number of years in the past equal to the number of light years in distance. In this way, the existence of a visible object 13 billion light years away is proof that the universe is at least that old.

The observation that many stars are millions of light years away is one of ''distance'', not ''time''. Since it takes light one year to travel a distance of one light year, it is possible to view an object as it was in the past, with the number of years in the past equal to the number of light years in distance. Some scientists argue that the oldest objects visible today are gamma ray bursts over 13 billion light-years away,<ref>http://www.cosmosmagazine.com/news/4350/gamma-ray-burst-closest-yet-big-bang</ref> but if the universe is expanding then it should be possible to observe stars that are now actually much further away.

=== Light created in transit ===

=== Light created in transit ===

Some creationists have proposed that the light we see from stars more than 6,000 light years away was not emitted by those stars, but was created 'in transit' by God. This theory, called the [[Omphalos hypothesis]], has been rejected as it implies a level of deceptiveness on the part of God.

As suggested by the "let there be light" verse in Genesis, God likely created light, not merely light sources. Accordingly, some observed light did not necessary travel from a distant star.

=== Moon-Spencer theory ===

=== Moon-Spencer theory ===