Big Bang Theory
Our Milkyway galaxy is one of approximately 30 neighbouring galaxies. These galaxies caused a cluster called the Local Group. There are astronomers that study the Local Group galaxies and research shows us that many galaxies are moving away from us. Even the galaxies situated further in space were moving away from us. Astronomers believed that the universe was expanding in all directions and are led to propose that all matter came from a single source. It is believed that the source exploded at the beginning of time which sent matter in all directions. This explosion is known to Astronomers as The Big Bang Theory. Before the explosion, which is estimated to be 10 billion years ago, it was believed that all matter in our universe was contained in a hot, dense ball which wad billions and billions of degrees. This ball was made up of radiation and subatomic particles. When the explosion took place it caused the matter to expand. After the matter expanded it than cooled; forming electrons, protons and neutrons. The electrons, protons and neutrons then formed into small hydrogen and helium atoms after further expansion and cooling. The Big Bang threw out matter that was denser in some places than others. The galaxies containing stars were formed by the gravitational forces squeezing particles of matter together. This happened in the denser places of matter.
Intergalactic spaces are the spaces between galaxies. Astronomers predicted that small amount of matter and radiation may have got trapped in the intergalactic spaces as a result of the Big Bang, although, until recently these intergalactic spaces seemed to be empty. This changed in 1989. During this year the Cosmic Background Explorer Satellite, more commonly known as COBE was invented. George Smoot and John Mather were two principal investigators of the COBE and received the Nobel Prize in Physics. More recently the Hubble Space Telescope was invented by Edwin Hubble and has detected small amounts of matter and radiation floating in the intergalactic spaces.
The first person to propose the Big Bang Theory was a Belgian physicist, Georges Lemaitre, in 1931. The theory is used as the explanation of how the universe came into being, although, the theory rather describes the general evolution of the universe from the time in came into being. The kernel of the Big Bang Theory lies in observations from Vesto Slipher in 1912 about Spiral galaxies. These observations showed to be receding from Earth. Lemaitre proposed that the universe was expanding order to take into account some astronomical observations in 1927. Two years later, in 1929, Edwin Hubble discovered that all remote galaxies and clusters are moving directly away from Earth’s vantage point. By 1931he took this a step further by suggesting that the universe expanded from a single point, bringing time and space into existence. Evidence that the Big Bang Theory is true is The Red Shift. The Red Shift is considered evidence that the universe is expanding. Spectrometers are instruments that measure the wavelength of light and Astronomers have noticed that the wavelength of light coming from most stars has shifted towards the red end of the spectrum. This is called the red shift, giving us the name. The Red Shift occurs when stars start moving rapidly away from Earth which gives Astronomers evidence to the Big Bang Theory.
Intergalactic spaces are the spaces between galaxies. Astronomers predicted that small amount of matter and radiation may have got trapped in the intergalactic spaces as a result of the Big Bang, although, until recently these intergalactic spaces seemed to be empty. This changed in 1989. During this year the Cosmic Background Explorer Satellite, more commonly known as COBE was invented. George Smoot and John Mather were two principal investigators of the COBE and received the Nobel Prize in Physics. More recently the Hubble Space Telescope was invented by Edwin Hubble and has detected small amounts of matter and radiation floating in the intergalactic spaces.
The first person to propose the Big Bang Theory was a Belgian physicist, Georges Lemaitre, in 1931. The theory is used as the explanation of how the universe came into being, although, the theory rather describes the general evolution of the universe from the time in came into being. The kernel of the Big Bang Theory lies in observations from Vesto Slipher in 1912 about Spiral galaxies. These observations showed to be receding from Earth. Lemaitre proposed that the universe was expanding order to take into account some astronomical observations in 1927. Two years later, in 1929, Edwin Hubble discovered that all remote galaxies and clusters are moving directly away from Earth’s vantage point. By 1931he took this a step further by suggesting that the universe expanded from a single point, bringing time and space into existence. Evidence that the Big Bang Theory is true is The Red Shift. The Red Shift is considered evidence that the universe is expanding. Spectrometers are instruments that measure the wavelength of light and Astronomers have noticed that the wavelength of light coming from most stars has shifted towards the red end of the spectrum. This is called the red shift, giving us the name. The Red Shift occurs when stars start moving rapidly away from Earth which gives Astronomers evidence to the Big Bang Theory.
Edwin Hubble
The person who discovered that all remote galaxies and clusters are moving away from Earth's vantage point.
George Smoot
A principal investigator of the COBE. He received the Noble Prize in Physics with John Mather.
John Mather
Georges Lemaitre
A Belgian Physicist who was the first to propose the Big Bang Theory.
The Steady State Model
Fred Hoyle
The Steady State Model proposes that the universe always existed. This means that we see the universe now as it was in the past and will be in the future. This also means that our universe has no birth date, it is never ending and infinitely old. The Steady State Model would mean that new matter would be being created everywhere in the universe and this matter forms galaxies which will slowly move away from each other. Meaning that in particular regions of space, the galaxies should be younger than others however, evidence which has been gathered over a number of years shows us that all neighbouring galaxies are around the same age.
Some attractive figures of the Steady State Model would be that firstly it says that the universe is endless in time and space. Secondly it accounts for the fact that star and galaxies die and reform and thirdly it avoids the difficult question of how the universe was created. Even with these attractive figures, today, the Steady State Model still have few supporters because recent astronomical evidence tells us that it does not all fit and what the Steady State Model states are not scientifically right.
The first makers of the Steady State model are Fred Hoyle, Thomas Gold and Hermann Bondi during 1948.
The downfall of both these theories is that neither of them truly state how the universe first originated.
Some attractive figures of the Steady State Model would be that firstly it says that the universe is endless in time and space. Secondly it accounts for the fact that star and galaxies die and reform and thirdly it avoids the difficult question of how the universe was created. Even with these attractive figures, today, the Steady State Model still have few supporters because recent astronomical evidence tells us that it does not all fit and what the Steady State Model states are not scientifically right.
The first makers of the Steady State model are Fred Hoyle, Thomas Gold and Hermann Bondi during 1948.
The downfall of both these theories is that neither of them truly state how the universe first originated.