The Big Bang

1. The Big Bang Important notes to record in your journal are marked with a STAR. Information that does not have a star is provided to expand on the broad concepts presented throughout the powerpoint.

2. The Big Bang Defined • The Big Bang Theory is the current model that describes the early development of the universe. • The universe started as a little speck of a hot, super-massive, and super dense ball. • Everything that is currently in the universe came from that one tiny speck.

3. The Big Bang Defined • Every proton, neutron, atom, and so forth came from that hot, super-massive, and super-dense ball. • About 13.7 Billion years, BANG!!! • A violent explosion hurled the material within that ball into all directions of space.

4. The Moments After • The universe expanded quickly after the Big Bang and continues to expand today. • As the universe expanded and cooled, things started to form. • i.e. – Protons, neutrons, atoms, stars, and galaxies • All of the different elements that exist today developed from that initial ball 13.7 billion years ago.

5. Timeline of the Universe • 13.7 billion years ago – BANG! • Exactly what triggered the sudden expansion remains a mystery.

6. 1 Second later… • Gravity formed • Electromagnetic forces emerged • The universe was made up of fundamental particles, including quarks, electrons, photons, and neutrons

7. 3 minutes later… • The universe takes shape. • The protons, neutrons, and electrons come together to form elements. • At this time, the universe is made up largely of helium and hydrogen, which we will learn later are two of the simplest elements in existence.

8. 500,000 years later… • The universe remained an enormous cloud of hot, expanding gas. • As the universe continued to cool, electrons were able to combine with hydrogen and helium. • Photons were no longer scattered. Time and distance shifted them into microwave lengths.

9. 1,000,000,000 years later… • Gravity amplified slight irregularities in the density of the “primordial gas.” • Even as the universe continued to expand, pockets of gas became more and more dense. • Stars were formed within these pockets. • Groups of stars became the earliest galaxies.

10. 3,000,000,000 years later… • Smaller galaxies merged into larger ones, forming different shapes (like spirals or spheres). • Sometimes these mergers were so violent that stars and gas collapsed into a common center, creating black holes.

11. 6,000,000,000 years later… • Within galaxies, stars were born while others died. • When stars die, they create enormous explosions called supernovas. • Supernovas are important to the evolution of galaxies because they distribute all of the common elements (oxygen, carbon, nitrogen) into space. • These explosions also create heavier elements such as gold, silver, and lead.

12. 5,000,000 years before THE PRESENT • The sun formed within a cloud of gas in the Milky Way Galaxy. • A vast disk of gas and debris that swirled around this new star formed planets, moons, and asteroids.

13. What does the future hold? • Astronomers estimate that in about 3,000,000,000 years, our galaxy will be swallowed up by one of its nearest neighbors (Andromeda). • Scientists believe that depending on their pathways, these two galaxies will either merge to form one galaxy or they will destroy each other.

14. Demonstrate Your Knowledge • Write a letter to a Kindergartener explaining The Big Bang Theory. Be sure to use your timeline notes. • Important vocabulary to include: gravity, electromagnetic forces, supernova, stars, galaxies, scientific theory, The Big Bang