Whether you’re a fan of Big Bang Theory or not, there are some important facts about the origin of our universe that you should know. It turns out that scientists have discovered evidence that the universe has expanded from a dense, hot state. The findings have been attributed to Hubble’s law, natural selection, and the redshift.
Hubble’s law
Using Hubble’s law, we can measure how fast the Universe is expanding and thus determine the age of the Universe. This is also the first observational support for the Big Bang theory. This theory suggests that the Universe began from a central point of infinite density.
Hubble’s Law, also known as the Hubble-Lemaitre law, is a mathematical relationship between the recessional velocity of a galaxy and the distance it resides from Earth. Hubble used this relationship to calculate the distance of galaxies and prove that the Universe was expanding.
The law states that when a galaxy is further away from us, it moves faster than the closest galaxy. This would have meant that the galaxies would have been closer together in the past.
The law is based on the observation that when a galaxy moves away from Earth, its light reflects off the red end of the visible spectrum. Hubble observed this in Cepheid stars. Using the redshifts of these stars, Hubble was able to calculate the recessional velocity of galaxies.
Clouds of primordial gas have no detectable levels of heavy elements
Detectable levels of heavy elements in clouds of primordial gas are a surprise to many astronomers. But they could be crucial to our understanding of the early universe. They may help explain why the universe is so cold. And they may also be responsible for cold flows that are present in the cosmos.
The standard cosmological model predicts that the first stars to form will be made of only hydrogen and helium. This is because the universe is too cold for nuclear fusion to occur. But the theory also predicts that first stars will have undetectable spectra. Until now, however, no such stars have been detected.
Astronomers have discovered pristine clouds of primordial gas two billion years after the Big Bang. These clouds have metallacity less than one-tenth of the metallacity of the sun. This is the lowest possible measurement of “metallacity” in the early universe.
The discovery has been reported by Dr. Arthur F. Davidsen, an astrophysicist at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. He said his team’s results “confirm the theory of early universe chemical makeup.” He added that other detections have been made using other quasars.
Evidence that the universe expanded from a dense, hot state
Observations of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) have provided direct evidence that the universe expanded from a dense, hot state. The CMB is a remnant of the radiation produced during the Big Bang. It carries wavelengths of about one millimeter. The CMB is only a few degrees above absolute zero.
A number of cosmological models explain the large-scale structure of the universe. These models vary in how they explain the origin of the universe. The most popular models suggest that the early universe was a hot dense state. During this early state, the temperature of the universe was higher than the temperature of the earth, making it impossible for neutral atoms to form.
During the early phase of the universe, the radiation pressure was so high that the structure of the early universe would not have grown. The density of the early universe would have been dense enough to produce nuclear fusion between protons and neutrons.
Natural selection and red shift
Those who believe that the Universe began as an explosion have many questions about how it was born. The Big Bang theory was coined by Fred Hoyle in 1949. Many astronomers believe it is the right description of the origin of our Universe. However, there are a few questions about its command.
According to the Big Bang theory, the universe began as a single point of infinite energy. As it expanded, atoms started to coalesce and eventually formed stars. The atoms of heavier elements were believed to have formed by nuclear fusion in star cores.
The Big Bang model was strengthened by the discovery of the Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation. This radiation, which was predicted during World War II, is energy left over from the early universe. The model suggests that the Universe has an exponential increase in size after the Big Bang.
The astronomical community is now incorporating red shift into the modern Big Bang cosmology. The red shift is used to determine the age of objects and to measure the speed of objects in space. These measurements are important because if they are inaccurate, they could alter the age of the Universe.