IS THE UNIVERSE DUE ANOTHER BIG BANG?
All About Space UK|Issue 143
New theories and observations are shedding fresh light on the very beginnings of the cosmos, and the formation of the first stars and galaxies. But they're also revealing new and unexpected mysteries
Giles Sparrow
IS THE UNIVERSE DUE ANOTHER BIG BANG?

Ask any astronomer about the very beginnings of the universe, and they're likely to describe the Big Bang theory. Some 13.8 billion years ago, they'll say, the universe was born out of nothing, in an explosion that unleashed the expanding dimensions of space and time, alongside vast amounts of energy. In the moments that followed, most of this energy transformed into the building blocks of matter - subatomic particles of varying mass and complexity which eventually came together to form simple atoms, and then coalesced to create giant, short-lived stars and the nuclei of the first galaxies.

There's a wealth of evidence to show that the Big Bang theory is broadly correct. For instance, even today the universe is still growing at tremendous speed, with widely separated galaxies and galaxy clusters being pulled apart as the space between them expands.

What's more, when powerful telescopes cus on the galaxies farthest from Earth (whose light set out on its journey towards us many billions of years ago), they see violent star systems still in the process of formation. Most tellingly of all, the entire universe is filled with the weak afterglow' of the Big Bang itself - the Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation (CMBR) that comes from all over the sky and is otherwise inexplicable.

Bu hikaye All About Space UK dergisinin Issue 143 sayısından alınmıştır.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

Bu hikaye All About Space UK dergisinin Issue 143 sayısından alınmıştır.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

ALL ABOUT SPACE UK DERGISINDEN DAHA FAZLA HIKAYETümünü görüntüle
MYSTERIES OF THE UNI WHERE ARE ALL THE SPIRAL GALAXIES?
All About Space UK

MYSTERIES OF THE UNI WHERE ARE ALL THE SPIRAL GALAXIES?

There are far fewer spiral galaxies than elliptical ones in the Supergalactic Plane, and scientists are keen to discover why

time-read
7 dak  |
Issue 161
ZOMBIE STARS
All About Space UK

ZOMBIE STARS

+10 OTHER TERRIFYING SPACE OBJECTS

time-read
8 dak  |
Issue 161
HOW TO BEAT LIGHT POLLUTION
All About Space UK

HOW TO BEAT LIGHT POLLUTION

Thought it was impossible to observe the wonders of the night sky from towns and cities? Think again. Follow our tips and tricks on successfully observing through sky glow

time-read
2 dak  |
Issue 161
15 STUNNING STAR CLUSTERS
All About Space UK

15 STUNNING STAR CLUSTERS

These beautiful stellar groupings are spattered across the cosmos

time-read
8 dak  |
Issue 161
Eileen Collins "It was a difficult mission...we were the first to see Mir"
All About Space UK

Eileen Collins "It was a difficult mission...we were the first to see Mir"

Having served as both the first female pilot and first female commander of NASA's Space Shuttle, Collins boosted the involvement of women in space exploration to a whole new level

time-read
9 dak  |
Issue 161
MARS LEAKS FASTER WHEN IT'S CLOSER TO THE SUN
All About Space UK

MARS LEAKS FASTER WHEN IT'S CLOSER TO THE SUN

The Red Planet has lost enough water to space to form a global ocean hundreds of kilometres deep

time-read
2 dak  |
Issue 161
FUTURE TECH KANKOH-MARU
All About Space UK

FUTURE TECH KANKOH-MARU

This ambitious reusable spacecraft will be capable of taking 50 people to and from orbit

time-read
2 dak  |
Issue 161
THE FINAL FRONTIER
All About Space UK

THE FINAL FRONTIER

Beyond the reach of the Sun is a fascinating region of the cosmos that were only just beginning to explore

time-read
8 dak  |
Issue 161
A long-lost moon could explain Mars' weird shape and extreme terrain
All About Space UK

A long-lost moon could explain Mars' weird shape and extreme terrain

A long-lost moon could explain why Mars is so different from the other rocky planets in the Solar System. Today Mars has two tiny moons.

time-read
2 dak  |
Issue 161
A sprinkling of cosmic dust may have helped kick-start life on Earth
All About Space UK

A sprinkling of cosmic dust may have helped kick-start life on Earth

Cosmic dust may have helped kick-start life on Earth. New findings challenge a widely held assumption that this wasn't a plausible explanation.

time-read
3 dak  |
Issue 161