Bang Theory: The Steady State Or Big Bang?

Steady State or Big Bang?

Jess Chambers Grade Nine 2017

Introduction:

For centuries, the explanation of the origin of our universe has been a heavily debated subject of religious, philosophical and scientific discussion. However, attempts to explain how the universe developed from a very tiny, dense state into what it is today have been thoroughly explored, not the initial creation of the universe itself. From the studies of both famous cosmologists and ordinary folk, there are two famous and widely accepted theories of how our universe evolved to what is today - The Big Bang theory and The Steady State theory. And along with these proposed theories is a plethora of evidence

The redshift describes how light changes as objects in space, stars and galaxies, move closer or further away from us. When the said object moves away from Earth, the light shifts towards the red end of the spectrum and the wavelengths get longer. As “The Big Bang Theory” refers to the continuous expansion of our universe it is supported by the Red Shift Theory. This is due to Astronomers observing using a spectrometer, an instrument that measures the wavelength of light, that when the wavelength of light coming from a star shifts towards the red end of the spectrum, a Red Shift, that it means that stars are rapidly moving away from the Earth because the fabric of space itself is expanding. Contrary to the support provided to the Big Bang Theory, is the evidence against the occurrence of the Steady State theory. As the Steady State theory provides the thought that the universe is the same size it has always been and will continue to remain that size, stars moving away rapidly from the Earth as it expands when a Red Shift occurs provides doubt in the

It can also be explained as that atoms, in the first 300,000 years of our universe, simply weren’t able to exist due to such temperatures and pressures our universe consisted of. Instead, matter was distributed as highly ionised plasma, which was very efficient at scattering radiation. The result of this alternative matter was that information, photons, from very early on in the universe were effectively trapped in an impenetrable ‘fog’ which, to this day, hides these early times from astronomers. While the universe continued to expand, however, its temperature and density dropped to a point where the atomic nuclei and electron were able to combine to form atoms. Known as the “Epoch of Recombination”, it is at this time that photons were finally able to escape the fog of the early universe and travel freely. “Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation” is the record of these photons at the moment of their escape. The presence of Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation found throughout the entirety of our universe, is considered to be one of the strongest pieces of evidence supporting the Big Bang Theory. This is because it is thought to be leftover radiation from The Big Bang or the time when the universe began. As with the rapid inflation and expansion of the universe creating an enormous amount of heat, which CMB represents.