Origin of Universe : Big Bang theory & Current Cosmology

Origin of Universe: The story of how our universe began starts with a big event called the Big Bang theory. According to the Big Bang theory, everything began from a tiny and super hot point. From there, everything expanded fast by creating atoms. Most of the stuff in the universe is made of hydrogen, about 74% of it. This expansion has been happening for about 13.8 billion years, and now it seems like it is getting faster. However, some people disagree with the Big Bang theory.

They say it is based on the wrong idea that the universe is always expanding. They believe the universe is just staying the same which implies the early thoughts of Einstein. Later on, Einstein realized that the universe was getting bigger, but he had to change his theory to fit that idea. Our Solar System is a galaxy that is called the Milky Way. It has eight planets, including Earth, that go around the Sun. Besides the planets, there are also smaller things like asteroids, meteoroids, and comets flying around.

In this article, we are going to discuss the origin of the universe in detail. Let’s explore.

Origin of Universe

On the basis of Big Bang theory, scientists explain how the universe started. They think everything in the universe used to be soft as a tiny hot ball. About 13.8 billion years ago, everything began from a tiny, super hot, and packed point called a singularity. From there, the universe spread out and cooled down, forming galaxies, stars, and planets. Many scientists think this is how the universe began. When neutral atoms formed, they released light particles called photons. We can still see these photons today as the cosmic microwave background (CMB).

Origin of the Universe Theories

Long ago, people began to study the Universe. During Greek civilization, people developed two new ideas about universe including the geocentric view and the holocentric view.

The Geocentric View or Earth-Centered View

The geocentric view says the Earth is the center of everything. People thought Earth was like a still ball surrounded by a bubble around. It is known as the celestial sphere. They believed stars were in this bubble, moving around Earth each day. This idea was backed by Aristotle and Ptolemy.

The Holocentric View or Sun-Centered View

Long ago, a Greek philosopher Aristarchus suggested a sun-centered view called heliocentric view. It says the Sun is in the middle, and Earth moves around it. But at that time, not many agreed with this idea.

How Old is the Universe?

Scientists say the universe is old around 13.8 billion years old. They believe it all started with a big explosion called the Big Bang around the same time. Since then, everything has been spreading out. To figure out how old it is, scientists study stuff like the leftover radiation from the Big Bang and how light from faraway galaxies changes.

Big Bang Theory

The Big Bang was a expansion of space and time. About 13.8 billion years ago, everything began from a tiny, super hot, and packed point called a singularity. From there, the universe spread out and cooled down, forming galaxies, stars, and planets. It is still expanding today, and scientists wonder if it might shrink back someday. So, the Big Bang is not really a bang like we think of explosions. It is more like the start of everything.

Importance of Big Bang Theory

Here is the importance of Big Bang Theory as mentioned below.

How the Universe Started

• Long ago, the universe began very small and extremely hot, then quickly got bigger.
• This made room for stars, galaxies, and everything else.
• Evidence like leftover heat and the way galaxies are spread out supports this Big Bang idea.

Big Discoveries Thanks to the Big Bang

• The Big Bang idea has led to big breakthroughs in understanding space.
• It explains things like leftover heat from the beginning of the universe, why certain elements are everywhere, and how galaxies are spread out.
• Plus, it inspired new tools like satellites and telescopes that help us learn even more about space.

Shaping Our View of Space

• The Big Bang idea gives us a detailed story of how the universe started small and grew into what we see today.
• Lots of evidence, like the elements we find and the leftover heat, agrees with this story.
• That is why most people in science believe it and it helps us understand our place in the universe.

Lots of Proof for the Big Bang

• There is so many evidence supporting the Big Bang, like leftover heat from the start of the universe, the types of elements we find everywhere, how galaxies are spread out, and how light from faraway galaxies is shifted.
• All this evidence matches what the Big Bang theory says happened. Most scientists agree it is the best explanation we have for how the universe began.

Big Bang in Everyday Life

• The Big Bang idea helps us understand how the universe went from being super hot to expanding and filling up with galaxies.
• It also explains how stars create heavier elements like the ones we find on Earth.
• This knowledge is crucial for understanding space and our place in it.

Current Cosmology

Here is the current cosmology as mentioned below.

• Stars are like big balls of gas that shine brightly because of nuclear reactions. Gravity pulls them inward, but the energy from fusion pushes them outward, making them stable in size and temperature.
• Galaxies are huge collections of stars, gas, dust, and dark matter held together by gravity. They can have massive black holes at their centers. Scientists think there could be trillions of galaxies in the universe we can see.
• Planetary systems are made up of planets, moons, asteroids, and comets orbiting around stars. Some stars have planets orbiting them, and some planets are even found in systems with multiple stars.
• Life is most likely to exist on planets, although moons might also support it. Some planets don’t orbit any star at all.

Missions to Study Big Bang

There were so many missions has been conducted to study the Big Bang as mentioned below.

Cosmic Background Explorer (COBE)	Till now, NASA has launched two missions to examine the cosmic radiation. The first mission was Cosmic Background Explorer (COBE).
Wilkinson Microware Anisotropy Probe (WMAP)	It was an improved version of COBE. It surveyed the entire sky to measure the temperature differences of the microwave radiation.
Planck	It was a collaboration between the European Space Agency and NASA. It made the accurate maps of the microwave background radiation.
Hubble Space Telescope (Not Mission)	Hubble Space Telescope is a joint collaboration of NASA and ESA that continues the Edwin Hubble’s work to measure the expansion of the Universe.

Will the Universe Expand Forever?

The universe’s future depends on a fight between things pushing it apart and things pulling it together. Imagine the universe is like a balloon being blown up or deflated. How fast it expands is measured by something called the Hubble Constant, and how much it wants to collapse is due to how much stuff is inside pulling on it. If there is not much pressure pushing out from the stuff inside, then what really matters is how much stuff there is. If there is not a lot of stuff, the universe will keep on expanding forever. But if there is a lot of stuff, it will eventually pull the universe back in on itself, like a collapsing bubble, called the “Big Crunch”.

However, scientists have found that the universe’s expansion is actually getting faster, not slower. This suggests there is something weird out there, something with a kind of anti-gravity effect, like a mysterious force pushing things apart. They call it “dark energy”. If dark energy is a big player, then the universe will likely keep expanding forever.

Conclusion on Origin of Universe

The origin of the universe remains one of the mysteries of science. Despite centuries of research, our understanding is continually evolving, shaped so many new discoveries and profound theoretical frameworks. From the Big Bang theory’s elegant explanation of cosmic expansion to the possibilities hinted at by quantum mechanics and string theory. Scientists are on an ever-unfolding journey to unravel the cosmic tapestry. While we may never fully grasp the ultimate origins of our universe, the pursuit of knowledge continues.

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FAQs on Origin of Universe

What is the origin of the Earth’s universe?

According to the Big Bang theory, the universe blinked violently into existence 13.77 billion years ago .The Big Bang is often described as an explosion, but imagining it as an enormous fireball isn’t accurate. The Big Bang involved a sudden expansion of matter, energy, and space from a single point.

What is the origin point of the universe?

The big-bang theory proposes the universe was formed from an infinitely dense and hot core of the material. The bang in the title suggests there was an explosive, outward expansion of all matter and space that created atoms.

What is one origin of the universe?

The most widely accepted explanation is the big bang theory.

What was before the universe?

The initial singularity is a singularity predicted by some models of the Big Bang theory to have existed before the Big Bang. The instant immediately following the initial singularity is part of the Planck epoch, the earliest period of time in the history of our universe.

What is beyond the universe?

We are not sure but can theorize what lies beyond the universe that we know. Outside the bounds of our universe may lie a “super” universe.

What is the universe made of?

The universe is composed almost completely of dark energy, dark matter, and ordinary matter. Other contents are electromagnetic radiation (estimated to constitute from 0.005% to close to 0.01% of the total mass–energy of the universe) and antimatter.