Dinh Nguyen

AECR 140
Professor Marcellino Berardo
19th November, 2014
The origin of the universe
It is always mysterious about how the universe was created and when it will
end. There have been many different theories and ideas of how the universe
began. Among them, the big bang theory is considered the most universally
accepted one for the origin and evolution of our universe. According to this
theory, the universe began with a giant explosion called the big bang. This
point of view, however, is not shared by all. In fact, there is convincing
evidence that the big bang theory can best explain the creation of universe.
The first supporting evidence for the big bang theory accounts for the
cosmic background radiation. In the 1940s, George Gamow, a physicist,
thought that if at start everything was so hot, it must have a residue of
radiation. Soon in 1964, two astronomers, Penzias and Wilson, accidentally
discovered the cosmic microwave background radiation.
Actually, they heard a noise of an extraterrestrial source which did not seem
to originate from one location but came from all directions at once. This
observation provides strong support for the big bang theory. Moreover, in
1990 NASAs Cosmic Explorer Background satellite took a detailed spectrum
of microwave background radiation. These studies showed the radiation is in
nearly perfect agreement with the big bang theory.

The other piece of supporting evidence for the big bang theory is the
expansion of the universe. In 1929, the great astronomer Edwin Hubble
realized that the distant galaxies were rushing away from us, establishing
that space itself is stretching (Carrier, 2002). In fact, the galaxies further
away from us are moving faster than the ones closer to us. As a result, the
farther away a galaxy is, the faster it seems to be moving. Fox (2002) states
that the observation of redshifts provide the foundation for the big bang
theory, the best model ever found for how the universe came to be.
The evidence against the big bang theory is the steady state model. In
the steady state model, Fred Hoyle proved that the universe has always
existed in the same state. Consequently, the remote parts of the universe
are expected to have precisely the same appearance as the local cosmic
environment. However, the supporters of the big bang theory demonstrate
that when we observe galaxies that are billions of light-years away, we get a
picture of those galaxies as they were billions of years ago. In a continuously
evolving universe, this means that we observe that particular part of the
universe when it was younger and therefore different (Livio, 2013).
In conclusion, of all the theories, the big bang theory, which offers a
feasible solution to one of the most urgent conundrums of all time, is
accepted by the majority of people around the world. This theory attempts to
clarify the origin and structure of the universe with good scientific evidence
and theories. . It is vital to understand, though, that the theory itself is

continually being adjusted. Therefore, the more research scientists carry

out , the more complete the big bang becomes.

References
Carrier, R. (2002). I Was a Big Bang Skeptic. Retrieved November 17, 2014,
from
http://infidels.org/library/modern/richard_carrier/bigbangredux.html
Fox, K.C. (2002). The big bang theory: What it is, where it came from, and
why it works. Hoboken, New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Livio, M. (2013). Brilliant Blunders: How the Big Bang Beat Out the Steady
State Universe. Retrieved November 17, 2014, from
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/blogs/physics/2013/06/brilliantblunders/
How was the universe created? (2013). Retrieved November 17, 2014, from
http://www.ukessays.co.uk/essays/sciences/how-was-the-universecreated.php