Science Fiction Becomes Fact - The Oort Cloud

Most scientists today believe that the universe is about 15 billion years old. But there is evidence that the universe is in fact much younger. That evidence however has been explained away as only science can. It is a story of make-believe and imagination. It is a story of science fiction being transformed into fact.

Comets provide strong evidence for a young universe. Comets are basically large balls of gas and dust that revolve around our sun. As a comet gets closer to the sun a portion of its mass gets blown away by the solar wind. It is known that comets could not have survived for 15 billion years. In fact, many comets are thought to have been in orbit for less than 100,000 years. If the universe is truly 15 billion years old then there should not be any comets left. So how do scientists explain the existence of young comets in a very old universe? The Oort Cloud.

The Oort cloud is thought to be a region in space where comets reside. Every so often, for reasons unexplained, a comet is thought to leave this comet cloud and enter into orbit around the sun. This is how we can have young comets in a very old universe. But there is one big problem with the Oort cloud. There is no evidence for its existence.

The idea of a cloud of comets surrounding our solar system was first proposed by Dutch astronomer Jan Oort in 1950. Oort had no evidence that this cloud of comets actually existed. His only purpose in proposing his idea was to explain the existence of comets in an old universe. And today, after over 60 years of research, there is just as much evidence for the Oort cloud as there was then - none whatsoever.

But today the existence of the Oort cloud is considered a scientific fact. In numerous scientific writings it is stated that the Oort cloud is a cloud of comets that surrounds our solar system. National Geographic magazine even published a large colorful map of the solar system with the Oort cloud included. Why would any self-respecting scientist believe in a comet cloud without any evidence? Simply because if the universe was only about 100,000 years old then there would not be enough time for evolution to occur. Because of the long time span needed for evolution any evidence for a young universe is either disregarded or explained away.

It is possible that there actually is a cloud of comets surrounding our solar system. But without any evidence this supposed cloud of comets should never be accepted as a fact. It turns out that both Santa Claus and the Tooth Fairy have just as much evidence to support their existence as does the Oort cloud. But despite this lack of evidence the existence of the Oort cloud has been accepted by the scientific community. The Oort cloud became a fact, not because of any evidence, but rather through sheer repetition. This is just another case of "science" turning science fiction into fact.