DU Astronomers: I need help with the Oort Cloud [View All]

[Ediacara]

As some of you may have seen, a club on campus has invited a creationist speaker to do a two night lecture. Tonight was the first lecture, and well... let's just say he didn't do well.

Anyway, during the question and answer period he was asked what he thought the most convincing evidence of a young universe was. He said that comets were.

According to his explanation, astronomers had studied comets, and had estimated that they would all evaporate within 10,000 years (doesn't give a citation), so that means they couldn't have been that old.

I know, it doesn't exactly follow a logical progression.

Anyway, he said that "this astronomer, Dr Oort, that's o-o-r-t" had an idea that there was this area of comets at the edge of the universe and they periodically fall into the sun.

So I raised my hand and was eventually called on, and I asked him two things:

1) Did Dr Oort actually say edge of the universe, or did he say edge of the solar system?

2) What does he think of Oort Cloud objects?

He says that Oort said Universe, and that it doesn't matter anyway, since they'd have to go through the solar system to get here.

I reminded him that there was a tremendous area of real estate between the edge of the solar system and the edge of the universe, and again, he didn't seem to care. I even said that what he was saying was akin to me saying that the difference in distance between Seattle and Portland and Seattle and Pluto was inconsequential.

He just answered that comets would have had to travel through the solar system so it doesn't matter.

He says he's never even HEARD of the Oort Cloud, and that it doesn't exist.

My questions for the DU astronmers are:

1) Has the Oort Cloud actually been documented and photographed? I know there are plenty of Kuiper objects, but I am uncertain of the Oort Cloud.

2) Did never-before-seen comets, like Hale-Bopp and Hyakutake come directly from the Oort Cloud? Even if the answer is no, I think it would be interesting to hear an explanation of where they came from in his opinion.

3) How big is the universe? I ask this because I may ask him tomorrow where Hale Bopp and Hyakutake came from (well if indeed they are directly from the Oort Cloud), and if he still insists the Oort Cloud (if it exists) is at the end of the universe, well then..... I want a speed estimate (and yes I know, it would be something like Warp 146). I actually think I will put it onto a warp speed scale :-)