Exploring the Heavens with Astrophysicist Dr. Jeff Zweerink - Part One

Program Note:

Daniel misspoke about the Tycho and Kepler supernovae. They were not the last to be seen in the universe but the last two supernovae to be seen in the Milky Way galaxy.

A great deal of time, effort, and tax dollars have been spent to explore the heavens. But even after all the expenditures, secular astronomy and cosmology are still unable to say what it all means. Some have suggested the universe doesn't mean anything, that it just is. Others say we can make up our own meaning.

But we here at Good Heavens! believe the universe exists for one main purpose, to declare the glory and the righteousness of God, to display His handiwork and remind us of His many invisible attributes (Psalm 19; 50.6; Romans 1.18ff; Colossians 1.16ff).

Here on this episode we sit down with Christian and astrophysicist Dr. Jeff Zweerink and get his thoughts about how he sees the universe pointing him to the glory of God.

Astrophysicist Jeff Zweerink is a former senior research scholar at Reasons to Believe (RTB). He earned a BS in physics and a PhD in astrophysics from Iowa State University with a focus on gamma rays. He taught at and ran the planetarium at Loras College in Dubuque, Iowa, until postdoctoral research in gamma rays led him to the University of California, Riverside.Jeff spent years working on the STACEE and VERITAS gamma-ray telescopes and was involved in research projects such as the Solar Two project and the Whipple Collaboration. He continues to work as a project scientist at UCLA on GAPS, a balloon experiment seeking to detect dark matter. Zweerink is also a coauthor of more than 30 academic papers published in peer-reviewed journals such as Astrophysical Journal, Astroparticle Physics, and Astrobiology.While an undergrad at Iowa State University, he heard astrophysicist and RTB founder Hugh Ross speak on the constructive integration of science and the Christian faith. Ten years later, a professor encouraged Zweerink to enroll in RTB’s volunteer apologists program. This involvement eventually led to a scholar position in 2005.Today, Zweerink writes and speaks on the compatibility of science and the Christian faith and on evidence for intentional design from multiverse theory and exoplanets, as well as artificial intelligence (AI). His speaking engagements take him to universities, conferences, churches, high schools, youth groups, and other venues around the world. His books include Is There Life Out There?, Who’s Afraid of the Multiverse?, Escapin