Transcript Document

THE BIG BANG THEORY
States that the universe began
as a single cosmic explosion
about 15 billion years ago.
Background Radiation
• Energy left over from the Big Bang is
evenly spread out throughout the
universe.
• This background radiation is one
observation that supports the Big Bang
Theory.
After the Big Bang
• Gravity began to affect matter
racing in every direction.
• The clumps formed into huge
clusters of matter.
• These clumps became the galaxies
of the universe.
HUBBLE’S LAW
The farther away the galaxy,
the faster it is receding
(moving away) from the
earth.
Galaxies seem to be racing away
from the center of the Universe.
• Every galaxy seems to be moving
away from Earth.
• After examining the Red Shift that
appears from distant galaxies
astronomers conclude the universe
is expanding at tremendous speeds.
Red Shift
• The Doppler Effect
• When light seen
coming from an object
is proportionally
shifted to appear more
red
Expanding Universe
• If the universe is expanding, then
the objects near the very edge of
the universe are the oldest objects
in the universe.
• The most distant known objects in
the universe are over 12 billion
light years from the Earth
Three Pieces of Evidence
Supporting the Big Bang
• The presence of Background
Radiation
• The observation of the galaxies
spreading away from the center of
the universe (Red Shift)
• Heat in space 3K
What Happens Next?
• Astronomers feel that the Big Bang
theory leads to two possible futures
for the Universe.
Open Universe
• Galaxies will continue racing
outward (continue to expand). All
of the stars will die off as the last
of their energy is released. There
will be nothing left, total
emptiness.
Closed Universe
• Gravitational attraction between
the galaxies will cause the
movement away from each other to
slow, and eventually come to a
halt. The gravitational pull will
begin to pull the galaxies back to
the center of the universe.
Closed Universe cont.
• All of the matter and energy will
again come close together and end
in a central area (possibly no larger
than a dime). Then another Big
Bang will occur and the formation
of the universe will begin all over
again.
Quasar
The End