Cards (8)

  • Derived from observations of the universe as it is now
  • Galaxies are moving further away from one another, and the further away they are, the faster they move apart
  • The speed of expansion makes it possible to work out the age of the universe
  • According to this theory, about 13.8 billion years ago, there was a sudden burst of energy that marked the creation of time, space, matter and energy
  • The theory has been supported by the discovery in 1964 of cosmic microwave background radiation and by the abundance of helium and hydrogen in the universe
  • The most widely accepted version of this theory thinks in terms of one event
  • Other versions of this theory think in terms of a 'big bang' leading initially to expansion until pulled back by gravity into a 'Big Crunch', after which it all starts again
  • Some think in terms of multiverses