Unit 2b:

History of the Observable Universe

1. The Observed Expansion of the Universe

(Hubble’s Law)

2. Evidence for the Big Bang Origin of the Universe

3. The Cosmic Calendar

Background image by James Webb Space Telescope. Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, Webb ERO 1
1. The Observed Expansion (Hubble’s Law)

There are
billions of
galaxies.

Galaxies form
clusters and
super-clusters.

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In the 1920’s Edwin Hubble discovered that all distant
galaxies recede with speed proportional to the distance to
them: v = H0d
The further away
the galaxy, the
Velocity of recession
faster it moves
away from us.

Galaxies were
closer in the past.

➢ The Universe
expands!
Figure credit: NASA /
WMAP Team

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How to imagine the expansion of the universe?
Every point moves away from
every other point.
No center of expansion.

Space is expanding
carrying galaxies with it.

When did the expansion start?

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Hubble’s Law: all galaxies go away from us with speed
proportional to the distance to them, v = H0d

Fig.26.15 (OpenStax) Hubble’s Law: v = H0d

From the observed Hubble’s law we can calculate

when the recession of galaxies began:
time = distance/speed for uniform motion
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 ➢ The origin of the Universe was 14 billion years ago
in an event called ‘The Big Bang’

The Hubble’s constant H0 is determined

from observations. We can estimate the The Big Bang was not an explosion,
time when the expansion started – the but the beginning of the expansion.
result is approximately 14 billion years:
The Universe is 14 billion years old.

time =
distance d
= It expands while light travels,
speed v that is why we only see part of it –
the observable universe.
From Hubble' s Law : v = H 0 d
Play this animation to visualize the expansion of space:
d 1 https://www.phys.ksu.edu/personal/gahs/phys191/horizon.html
time = =  14 billion yrs.
H 0d H 0

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 2. Supporting Evidence for the Big Bang Origin
of the Universe
Soon after the Big Bang the young Universe was extremely hot and
dense. As it was expanding, it was rapidly cooling down.
Watch this 5:50 min summary: https://youtu.be/wNDGgL73ihY
Elementary
1014 particles form
Temperature (K)

Some H fuses
into He

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Galaxies form

102

A few minutes Millions of years Time

after the Big Bang after the Big Bang
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Theories are tested by their predictions.
The Big Bang Theory predicts the amounts of Hydrogen and
Helium produced shortly after the Big Bang event.

All Hydrogen and most of the Helium in the Universe formed

minutes after the Big Bang in this nuclear reaction:

Fig.3.10

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➢ The observed amounts of H and He in
the universe confirm the theoretical predictions

Only light elements could be produced minutes

after the Big Bang – about 75% H and 25% He.

The rest of the chemical elements were

produced by stars – during their lives
and during supernova explosions of
massive stars.

Fig.3.11

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 The energy of the Big Bang was released everywhere.
The theory predicts that the energy left over from the Big Bang
will be observed now as microwave radiation.

➢ Confirmed prediction:
Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) observed

This is microwave energy

coming from all directions in
space.

Detected for the first time in 1965

by Penzias and Wilson.

Credit: NASA/WMAP Science Team

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 The CMB is the oldest energy that we can detect.
It shows the Universe as it was 380,000 years
after the Big Bang, or about 13.8 billion years ago.

Credit: NASA /
WMAP Science
Team

All sky picture of the CMB background based on 9 years of data from the WMAP satellite.

The WMAP satellite (2003) observed the detailed structure of the CMB and its
tiny variations in temperature. We see “the seeds” that will later form super-
clusters of galaxies and voids between them. 11
The most recent observations show more
details the structure of the CMB: (Planck satellite, ESA, 2013):
http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Space_Science/Planck/Celebrating_the_legacy_of_ESA_s_Planck_mission

Credit: ESA and the Planck Collaboration - D. Ducros

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Recent survey of the
distribution of galaxies:
http://classic.sdss.org/legacy/index.html

Super-clusters
of galaxies form
filaments,
separated by
voids.

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The origin of the observable Universe was almost 14 billion years ago
All H and most He
formed shortly after
the Big Bang

The rest of the elements are

produced in the cores of stars

The Solar system

formed about
4.6 billion years ago

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3. The Cosmic Calendar – 1 day represents 38 million years.
If the whole history of the Universe is represented in one year:

• Earth and the Solar System formed in early September (4.6 billion years ago)
• Early life on Earth emerged on Sept. 22 (3.8 billion years ago)
• Dinosaurs roamed on Earth around Dec.26 – 30 (250 – 65 million years ago)

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• Modern humans (Homo Sapiens) appeared in the last 7 minutes of the last day
of the Cosmic Calendar (about 200,000 years ago)

• The history of our 10,000 years old civilization can fit in less than 30 sec.
of the last day of this cosmic calendar

• Modern science emerged 1 second ago in the cosmic calendar (about 400 years ago)

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