The Big Bang Theory

By James L. Barker

Big Bang TheoryToday the Big Bang Theory is the dominant scientific theory about the origin of the universe. The theory suggests that the universe was created between 10 billion and 20 billion years ago from a cosmic explosion that sent matter hurling through space in all directions. A Belgian priest named Georges Lemaitre was the first to propose that the universe began with an explosion of a primeval atom..

This model of the "primordial soup" that

existed immediately after the big

bang, shows the liberated colored

quarks in the middle with the protons

and neutrons on the outer edges.

In less than a blink of an eye, or a trillionth of a second after the

big bang,the universe

expanded from the size of a marble to an

area that is largerthan all observable space. How could it

move so fast?

Using a special type of radio telescope, this image shows ripples in

radiation left by the Big Bang. The dark and light spots show where theradiation is hotter and cooler.

This all-sky picture of the infant universe taken with the Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe reveals 13 billion year old temperatures that may give information to the age and the geometry of the universe. How can we take a picture of the past?

This "deepest ever" view of the universe, taken with the Hubble Deep Field, shows a variety of other galaxy shapes and colors that may be clues to the evolution of the universe.

This star cluster is located about 7,000 light-years away and contains the oldest burned-out stars known. These white dwarfs are estimated to be between 12 and 13 billion years old. How can we determine the age of a star?