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Big Bang

The Big Bang theory describes how the observable universe expanded from an initial state of high density and temperature around 13.8 billion years ago. It offers explanations for phenomena like the cosmic microwave background radiation and abundance of light elements. The theory is compatible with Hubble's observation that distant galaxies are moving away from Earth, suggesting the universe is expanding. Extrapolating this expansion backwards in time leads to an infinitely dense singularity known as the Big Bang. After expansion and cooling, the first stars, galaxies and other large structures formed from clouds of hydrogen, helium and lithium.

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18 views4 pages

Big Bang

The Big Bang theory describes how the observable universe expanded from an initial state of high density and temperature around 13.8 billion years ago. It offers explanations for phenomena like the cosmic microwave background radiation and abundance of light elements. The theory is compatible with Hubble's observation that distant galaxies are moving away from Earth, suggesting the universe is expanding. Extrapolating this expansion backwards in time leads to an infinitely dense singularity known as the Big Bang. After expansion and cooling, the first stars, galaxies and other large structures formed from clouds of hydrogen, helium and lithium.

Uploaded by

Shiella Baydal
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Big Bang

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


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This article is about the scientific theory. For the television series that is named after the theory,
see The Big Bang Theory. For other uses, see Big Bang (disambiguation) and Big Bang Theory
(disambiguation).

Timeline of the metric expansion of space, where space, including hypothetical non-observable
portions of the universe, is represented at each time by the circular sections. On the left, the
dramatic expansion occurs in the inflationary epoch; and at the center, the expansion accelerates
(artist's concept; not to scale).

Part of a series on

Physical cosmology

 Big Bang · Universe


 Age of the universe
 Chronology of the universe

show
Early universe

 Inflation ·Nucleosynthesis

Backgrounds
 Gravitational wave (GWB)
 Microwave (CMB) ·Neutrino (CNB)

show
Expansion · Future

show
Components · Structure

Components
Lambda-CDM model
 Dark energy ·Dark fluid ·Dark matter

Structure
Shape of the universe

 Galaxy filament ·Galaxy formation
 Large quasar group
 Large-scale structure
 Reionization ·Structure formation

show
Experiments

show
Scientists

show
Subject history
 Category
 Astronomy portal

 v
 t
 e

The Big Bang theory is the prevailing cosmological model explaining the existence of the
observable universe from the earliest known periods through its subsequent large-scale
evolution.[1][2][3] The model describes how the universe expanded from an initial state of high
density and temperature,[4] and offers a comprehensive explanation for a broad range of observed
phenomena, including the abundance of light elements, the cosmic microwave background
(CMB) radiation, and large-scale structure.

Crucially, the theory is compatible with Hubble–Lemaître law—the observation that the farther
away a galaxy is, the faster it is moving away from Earth. Extrapolating this cosmic expansion
backwards in time using the known laws of physics, the theory describes an increasingly
concentrated cosmos preceded by a singularity in which space and time lose meaning (typically
named "the Big Bang singularity").[5] Detailed measurements of the expansion rate of the
universe place the Big Bang singularity at around 13.8 billion years ago, which is thus
considered the age of the universe.[6]

After its initial expansion, an event that is by itself often called "the Big Bang", the universe
cooled sufficiently to allow the formation of subatomic particles, and later atoms. Giant clouds of
these primordial elements—mostly hydrogen, with some helium and lithium—later coalesced
through gravity, forming early stars and galaxies, the descendants of which are visible today.
Besides these primordial building materials, astronomers observe the gravitational effects of an
unknown dark matter surrounding galaxies. Most of the gravitational potential in the universe
seems to be in this form, and the Big Bang theory and various observations indicate that this
excess gravitational potential is not created by baryonic matter, such as normal atoms.
Measurements of the redshifts of supernovae indicate that the expansion of the universe is
accelerating, an observation attributed to dark energy's existence.[7]

Georges Lemaître first noted in 1927 that an expanding universe could be traced back in time to
an originating single point, which he called the "primeval atom". Edwin Hubble confirmed
through analysis of galactic redshifts in 1929 that galaxies are indeed drifting apart; this is
important observational evidence for an expanding universe. For several decades, the scientific
community was divided between supporters of the Big Bang and the rival steady-state model
which both offered explanations for the observed expansion, but the steady-state model
stipulated an eternal universe in contrast to the Big Bang's finite age. In 1964, the CMB was
discovered, which convinced many cosmologists that the steady-state theory was falsified,[8]
since, unlike the steady-state theory, the hot Big Bang predicted a uniform background radiation
throughout the universe caused by the high temperatures and densities in the distant past. A wide
range of empirical evidence strongly favors the Big Bang, which is now essentially universally
accepted.[9]

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