Difference between revisions of "Day"
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| − | A '''day''' is the | + | A '''day''' is a period of [[rotation]] of a celestial body. It is also a standard cycle on [[Earth]]. But today its meaning is the subject of controversy in [[Christianity|Christian]] circles and even [[creationist]] circles. |
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| + | == Day in astronomy == | ||
| + | In [[astronomy]], the word ''day'' has as many as three specific meanings: | ||
| + | |||
| + | === Sidereal day === | ||
| + | A ''sidereal day'' (from a [[Latin]] word associated with the stars) is the period that a celestial body requires to make one full turn around its axis with respect to the [[star]]s. | ||
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| + | === Solar day === | ||
| + | A ''solar day'' is the time that a celestial body requires to present the same face toward the [[sun]], or toward its own star in the case of an [[extrasolar planet]]. On [[Earth]] the solar day is 24 hours, or 86,400 [[SI]] seconds.<ref>[http://asa.usno.navy.mil/SecM/Glossary.html#day Definition of 'Day'] The Astronomical Almanac, [[United States Naval Observatory]], n.d. Accessed June 27, 2008.</ref> | ||
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| + | === Synodic day === | ||
| + | A ''synodic day'' is the time that a celestial body requires to present the same face toward its own particular primary. For [[planet]]s and [[dwarf planet]]s in orbit around the sun, the synodic day and the solar day are the same. For [[moon]]s, the synodic day is the day between "rises" of a moon's primary in that moon's sky. | ||
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| + | A celestial body in [[tidal lock]] with its primary does not have a synodic day. | ||
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| + | == Day in the Bible == | ||
| + | According to the [[Bible|Biblical]] book of [[Genesis]] [[God]] created the heavens and the earth in six days, and rested on the [[Sabbath|seventh]].<ref>{{Bible ref|book=Genesis|chap=1}}, {{Bible ref|book=Genesis|chap=2|verses=1-24}}</ref> It should be noted that a day within the Bible is not always a 24-hour period. Sometimes, to God, a day is as a thousand years.<ref>{{Bible ref|book=Psalms|chap=90|verses=4}}, {{Bible ref|book=II_Peter|chap=3|verses=8}}</ref> | ||
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| + | However, the [[Bible]] defines the word ''day'' ([[Hebrew]] ''yowm'') most clearly by the context of its use in {{Bible ref|book=Genesis|chap=1}}. In [[Genesis]] 1, the word ''day'' appears six times, preceded by the phrase "evening and morning," clearly indicating a solar day. | ||
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| + | Outside of Genesis, the word ''day'' appears more than four hundred times, and never means anything other than an ordinary day. | ||
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| + | == The day-age controversy == | ||
| + | [[Progressive creationism]], in an attempt to compromise Scripture with [[geology|geological]] [[uniformitarianism]] and [[evolution]], states that each of the "days" in [[Genesis]] 1 were actually great ages of the earth. This interpretation fails for a number of reasons. The most salient reason is that Genesis tells us that [[plant]]s were created on Day 3, while the [[sun]] and [[moon]] were created on Day 4. While plants might survive one solar day without light, they would not survive for millions of years without light. Nor does progressive creationism say where the light of the first "day" of Genesis 1 came from. (In addition, most uniformitarians insist that the sun existed before the earth, and in fact date the sun primarily by adding a few hundreds of thousands of years to their value for the age of the earth.) | ||
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| + | ==See also== | ||
| + | * [[Orbital period]] | ||
| + | * [[Essay:Today in conservative history]] | ||
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| + | ==References== | ||
| + | <references/> | ||
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| + | [[Category:Units of Measurement]] | ||
| + | [[Category:Chronology]] | ||
Latest revision as of 15:22, July 15, 2016
A day is a period of rotation of a celestial body. It is also a standard cycle on Earth. But today its meaning is the subject of controversy in Christian circles and even creationist circles.
Contents
Day in astronomy
In astronomy, the word day has as many as three specific meanings:
Sidereal day
A sidereal day (from a Latin word associated with the stars) is the period that a celestial body requires to make one full turn around its axis with respect to the stars.
Solar day
A solar day is the time that a celestial body requires to present the same face toward the sun, or toward its own star in the case of an extrasolar planet. On Earth the solar day is 24 hours, or 86,400 SI seconds.[1]
Synodic day
A synodic day is the time that a celestial body requires to present the same face toward its own particular primary. For planets and dwarf planets in orbit around the sun, the synodic day and the solar day are the same. For moons, the synodic day is the day between "rises" of a moon's primary in that moon's sky.
A celestial body in tidal lock with its primary does not have a synodic day.
Day in the Bible
According to the Biblical book of Genesis God created the heavens and the earth in six days, and rested on the seventh.[2] It should be noted that a day within the Bible is not always a 24-hour period. Sometimes, to God, a day is as a thousand years.[3]
However, the Bible defines the word day (Hebrew yowm) most clearly by the context of its use in Genesis 1 . In Genesis 1, the word day appears six times, preceded by the phrase "evening and morning," clearly indicating a solar day.
Outside of Genesis, the word day appears more than four hundred times, and never means anything other than an ordinary day.
The day-age controversy
Progressive creationism, in an attempt to compromise Scripture with geological uniformitarianism and evolution, states that each of the "days" in Genesis 1 were actually great ages of the earth. This interpretation fails for a number of reasons. The most salient reason is that Genesis tells us that plants were created on Day 3, while the sun and moon were created on Day 4. While plants might survive one solar day without light, they would not survive for millions of years without light. Nor does progressive creationism say where the light of the first "day" of Genesis 1 came from. (In addition, most uniformitarians insist that the sun existed before the earth, and in fact date the sun primarily by adding a few hundreds of thousands of years to their value for the age of the earth.)
See also
References
- ↑ Definition of 'Day' The Astronomical Almanac, United States Naval Observatory, n.d. Accessed June 27, 2008.
- ↑ Genesis 1 , Genesis 2:1-24
- ↑ Psalms 90:4 , II_Peter 3:8
