The Big Bang was the event which led to the formation of the universe, according to the prevailing

cosmological theory of the universe's early development (known as the Big Bang theory or Big Bang model). According to the Big Bang model, the universe, originally in an extremely hot and dense state that expanded rapidly, has since cooled by expanding to the present diluted state, and continues to expand today. Based on the best available measurements as of 2010, the original state of the universe existed around 13.7 billion years ago,[1][2] which is often referred to as the time when the Big Bang occurred.[3][4] The theory is the most comprehensive and accurate explanation supported by scientific evidence and observations.[5][6] steady state theory A cosmological theory stating that the universe has always expanded at a uniform rate with no beginning or end, that it will continue to expand and have constant density, and that the distribution of old and new objects in the universe is basically even. The theory has been largely abandoned in favor of the big bang theory, largely due to the discovery of quasar and other entities that appear only at very great distances, suggesting an absolute relationship between the age of objects and their distance. Steady state theory was also discredited by the discovery of cosmic background radiation, which was predicted by the big bang theory but not by the steady state theory. According to the big bang theory, the universe began by expanding from an infinitesimal volume with extremely high density and temperature. The universe was initially significantly smaller than even a pore on your skin. With the big bang, the fabric of space itself began expanding like the surface of an inflating balloon - matter simply rode along the stretching space like dust on the balloon's surface. The big bang is not like an explosion of matter in otherwise empty space; rather, space itself began with the big bang and carried matter with it as it expanded. Physicists think that even time began with the big bang. Today, just about every scientist believes in the big bang model. The evidence is overwhelming enough that in 1951, the Catholic Church officially pronounced the big bang model to be in accordance with the Bible.

The Big Bang

Once it was understood that the Universe had a beginning, scientists began to ask how did it come into existence, and what existed before it? Most scientists now believe that the answer to the first part of the question is that the Universe sprang into existence from a singularity -- a term physicists use to describe regions of space that defy the laws of physics. We know very little about singularities, but we believe that others probably exist in the cores of black holes. The second part of the question, as to what existed before the Big Bang, has scientists baffled. By definition, nothing existed prior to the beginning, but that fact creates more questions than answers. For instance, if nothing existed prior to the Big Bang, what caused the singularity to be created in the first place? Once the singularity was created (however it happened), it began to expand through a process called inflation. The Universe went from very small, very dense, and very hot to the cool

expanse that we see today. This theory is now referred to as the Big Bang, a term first coined by Sir Fred Hoyle during a British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) radio broadcast in 1950. Interestingly, there really wasnt any sort of explosion (or bang) as the name suggests, but rather the rapid expansion of space and time. It is like blowing up a balloon, as you blow air in, the exterior of the balloon expands outward.

The Moments after the Big Bang

The early Universe was not bound by the laws of physics as we know them today. Consequently, we cannot predict with great accuracy what the Universe looked like during the first minutes of creation. In spite of this, scientists have been able to construct an approximate representation of how the Universe evolved. Scientists believe that the Universe was initially so hot and dense, that even elementary particles like protons and neutrons could not exist. Instead, different types of matter (called matter and anti-matter) collided together, creating pure energy. But as the Universe began to cool during the first few minutes, protons and neutrons began to form. Then slowly over time these protons, neutrons and electrons came together to form Hydrogen and small amounts of Helium. During the billions of years that followed, stars, planets and galaxies formed to create the Universe as we see it today.

Evidence for the Big Bang

The CMB signal detected by Penzias and Wilson, a discovery for which they later won a Nobel Prize, is often described as the echo of the Big Bang. Because if the Universe had an origin, it would leave behind a signature of the event, just like an echo heard in a canyon represents a signature of the original sound. The difference is that instead of an audible echo, the Big Bang left behind a heat signature throughout all of space. Another prediction of the Big Bang theory is that the Universe should be receding from us. Specifically, any direction we look out into space, we should see objects moving away from us with a velocity proportional to their distance away from us, a phenomenon known as the red shift. Edwin Hubble, in 1929, was able to correlate the distance to objects in the universe with their velocities -- a relation known as Hubbles Law. Big Bang theorists later used this information to approximate the age of the Universe at about 15 billion years old, which is consistent with other measurements of the age of the Universe.

Alternatives to the Big Bang Theory

While the Big Bang theory is the most widely accepted theory about the origins of the Universe, and is supported by all the observational evidence, there are other models that explain the evidence equally well.

Some of the other theories argue that the Big Bang theory is based on a false premise -- that the Universe is built on an ever expanding space-time. Some, instead, prefer to build theories on a static Universe, which is what was originally predicted by Einsteins theory of general relativity. Einsteins theory was only later modified to accommodate the way the Universe appears to be expanding.

The Big Bang occurred an estimated 15 billion years ago. The universe began with a cataclysm that created space and time, as well as all the matter and energy the universe will ever hold. All the space, time, energy, and matter that constitute today's universe originated in the Big Bang. The early universe was extremely small, dense, and hot. For the first fraction of a second, only energy existed. As the universe expanded and cooled, the four fundamental forces (gravity, electromagnetism, and the strong and weak nuclear forces) became distinct. Quarks, then atomic particles and their antimatter partners, appeared. As matter and antimatter met, they annihilated each other, leaving behind energy and a slight excess of ordinary matter - almost exclusively the lightest elements, hydrogen and helium. The faint residual heat from the Big Bang can be observed coming from everywhere in the sky.

Planetesimals Form and Protoplanets Condense

Artist's Concept of a Protoplanetary Disk - Within the spinning protoplanetary disk, gravity allows clumps to form and grow - - creating objects called planetesimals.

NASA Within the spinning protoplanetary disk, gravity allows clumps to form and grow -- creating objects called planetesimals. Heavy metals and silicates can survive the winds and high temperatures found close to the star, but lighter, volatile materials such as water and hydrogen gas survive only in the outer parts of the disks.

Protoplanetary Disk Clumps of solid material begin to solidify as they accumulate enough mass; growing larger as the result of collisions. Eventually, a few large objects -- protoplanets -- will begin to dominate the nebula, accreting more and more of the nebular material as the amount of free dust and gas is steadily reduced. is timeline is a work in progress.

Approximately 15 Billion Years Ago: The Big Bang occurred an estimated 15 billion years ago. The universe began with a cataclysm that created space and time, as well as all the matter and energy the universe will ever hold. Immediately After The Big Bang: One millionth of a second after the Big Bang, the universe continued to expand but not nearly as quickly. It became less dense and cooler. Gravity emerges. Matter forms. Building block particles of quarks, leptons, photons, and neutrinos, form. The universe is now about the size of a melon. Quarks combine to form protons and neutrons. Protons and neutrons form the nuclei of all atoms. Protons and neutrons combine to form the atomic nuclei of hydrogen, helium and lithium. 10,000 Years After The Big Bang: Radiation Era: Most energy was in the form of radiation -- different wavelengths of light, X rays, radio waves and ultraviolet rays. As the universe expanded, these waves of radiation were stretched and diluted. 300,000 Years After The Big Bang: Matter Domination Era: The average temperature had cooled to a mere 5000 degrees Fahrenheit. The energy in matter and the energy in radiation were equal. But as the universe continued to expand, the effects of the stretching of the light waves continued driving them into lower and lower energy, while the matter continued outward largely unaffected. Electrons could now remain in orbit around atomic nuclei. These hydrogen and helium atoms would eventually form the fuel for the stars. 300,000,000 Years After The Big Bang: Stars and Galaxies Form: The force of gravity began to affect the irregularities in the density of the gaseous matter. As the universe continued to expand more rapidly, pockets of gas formed, becoming more and more dense. Within these pockets, stars ignited, and as they formed, groups of them became the earliest galaxies. 5 Billion Years Ago: Our Solar System Forms: Our sun formed within a cloud of gas in a spiral arm of what we now call the Milky Way Galaxy. A huge cloud of gas and debris surrounded this new star gave birth to planets, moons, and asteroids. 3.8 Billion Years Ago: Life Appeared: The Earth cooled and an atmosphere formed. Microscopic cells began to form, which were neither plant nor animal. 700,000,000 Years Ago: Animals Appeared: Mostly flatworms, jelly fish and algae. 130 million years later large numbers of creatures with hard shells suddenly appear. 200,000,000 Years Ago: Mammals Appeared: These early mammals evolved from some reptile who had begun developing mammalian traits. 65,000,000 Years Ago: Dinosaurs Became Extinct: An asteroid or comet crashed into the northern part of the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico. This catastrophic event brought an end to the long age of the dinosaurs, providing mammals with a chance to expand their ranges.