A scientific theory is a unifying concept that explains a large body of data. It is a hypothesis that has withstood the test of time and the challenge of opposing views. The Big Bang Theory is supported by extensive empirical data. There is no reliable data supporting the some-god-did-it hypothesis, and especially not the Yahweh-did-it hypothesis.
Six prominent facts supporting the Big Bang Theory are:
** The cosmic microwave background radiation.
— This is a remnant of the radiation from the Big Bang, and has cooled over time to the exact temperature predicted.
** The variations in the cosmic microwave background radiation.
— These variations fit theoretical predictions, and were caused by quantum differences near the start of Big Bang.
** The red shift of almost all galaxies, getting greater as their distance increases.
— This shows that the galaxies are flying away from each other, at greater speeds at greater distances.
** The proportions of the lightest elements and isotopes.
— This helps show that the calculations for nuclear interactions immediately following the Big Bang are correct.
** The changes in galaxies as we look further away (and thus back in time), with distant galaxies more primitive and having fewer heavy elements.
— This shows some of the changes in the universe since the Big Bang, and confirms the deep time of the universe.
** The change in the apparent speed of type 1a supernova as we look back in time, with distant supernova exploding more slowly.
— This shows that the light has been stretched out by the expansion of space over billions of years.
For more about the Big Bang and its implications, watch the video at the 1st link - "A Universe From Nothing" by theoretical physicist Lawrence Krauss, read an interview with him (at the 2nd link), get his new book (at the 3rd link), or read an excerpt from his book (at the 4th link). And, see the 5th link for "Quantum scientists make something out of nothing."
The isotropic 2.7 K background radiation is strong evidence for the Big Bang. Calculations show that by this time, about 14 billion years after the event, radiation should have cooled to this temperature, and the discovery of radiation at 2.7K, all over the universe, was an exciting find because it gives measurable evidence that this explosion occurred when we thought it did.
It's a bit like ripples in a pond. When a stone is dropped into a flat pond it sends out ripples in all directions (isotropic). As the ripples radiate away from the source, or the area where the stone entered the water, they widen until they either hit the edge of the pond or lose enough energy to dissipate on their own. The background radiation is like this; by now, it was calculated that background radiation left over from the Big Bang should be at about 3K and be moving away in all directions. This is because this radiation has been losing energy ever since it was created. Finding such radiation at the temperature we estimated is taken as proof of a huge explosion about 14 billion years ago whose ripples of radiation are still fanning outward, cooling as they do so.
Answers & Comments
Verified answer
A scientific theory is a unifying concept that explains a large body of data. It is a hypothesis that has withstood the test of time and the challenge of opposing views. The Big Bang Theory is supported by extensive empirical data. There is no reliable data supporting the some-god-did-it hypothesis, and especially not the Yahweh-did-it hypothesis.
Six prominent facts supporting the Big Bang Theory are:
** The cosmic microwave background radiation.
— This is a remnant of the radiation from the Big Bang, and has cooled over time to the exact temperature predicted.
** The variations in the cosmic microwave background radiation.
— These variations fit theoretical predictions, and were caused by quantum differences near the start of Big Bang.
** The red shift of almost all galaxies, getting greater as their distance increases.
— This shows that the galaxies are flying away from each other, at greater speeds at greater distances.
** The proportions of the lightest elements and isotopes.
— This helps show that the calculations for nuclear interactions immediately following the Big Bang are correct.
** The changes in galaxies as we look further away (and thus back in time), with distant galaxies more primitive and having fewer heavy elements.
— This shows some of the changes in the universe since the Big Bang, and confirms the deep time of the universe.
** The change in the apparent speed of type 1a supernova as we look back in time, with distant supernova exploding more slowly.
— This shows that the light has been stretched out by the expansion of space over billions of years.
For more about the Big Bang and its implications, watch the video at the 1st link - "A Universe From Nothing" by theoretical physicist Lawrence Krauss, read an interview with him (at the 2nd link), get his new book (at the 3rd link), or read an excerpt from his book (at the 4th link). And, see the 5th link for "Quantum scientists make something out of nothing."
-
The isotropic 2.7 K background radiation is strong evidence for the Big Bang. Calculations show that by this time, about 14 billion years after the event, radiation should have cooled to this temperature, and the discovery of radiation at 2.7K, all over the universe, was an exciting find because it gives measurable evidence that this explosion occurred when we thought it did.
It's a bit like ripples in a pond. When a stone is dropped into a flat pond it sends out ripples in all directions (isotropic). As the ripples radiate away from the source, or the area where the stone entered the water, they widen until they either hit the edge of the pond or lose enough energy to dissipate on their own. The background radiation is like this; by now, it was calculated that background radiation left over from the Big Bang should be at about 3K and be moving away in all directions. This is because this radiation has been losing energy ever since it was created. Finding such radiation at the temperature we estimated is taken as proof of a huge explosion about 14 billion years ago whose ripples of radiation are still fanning outward, cooling as they do so.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Bang#Cosmic_micro...