Introduction to the Big Bang
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Google Classroom Questions
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The following questions may be answered in your Google Classroom assignment. The answers may be found below.
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The Big Bang Theory
Scientists have evidence that indicates our Universe (including all the stars, galaxies and planets) began about 13.7 billion years ago. The illustration on the right helps to show how the Universe expanded from a tiny "singularity" we call the "Big Bang", which was no bigger than an electron, into the infinitely large Universe we know today.
And the Universe continues to expand! To get a blow-by-blow explanation of the events, click on the NOVA website, the History of the Universe, which describes it in more detail. Once you get to that webpage, click on the button that says "Launch Interactive." Your computer will need to run Adobe Flash. Don't worry if you're not able to do this. |
What is a Light Year?
Earth's location in the Universe
Earth is located in the solar system, which orbits our Sun. The sun is but one of billions of stars located in one arm of the Milky Way Galaxy. The Milky Way galaxy belongs to a group of about 30 galaxies in the universe called the Local Galactic Group. Andromeda galaxy is also in the Local Galactic Group and is also a spiral galaxy with over a trillion stars. The Local Galactic Group belongs to a a much larger "supercluster" of galaxies called the Virgo Supercluster, which belongs to a group of local neighboring superclusters. Click on the image to see a closer view of each image below.
In a way you can compare this to our own geography (but on a much grander scale!) .....
Earth
Solar System Solar Interstellar neighborhood Milky Way galaxy Local Galactic Group Virgo Supercluster Local Superclusters Observable Universe |
building
city county state country continent hemisphere planet |
Eagle School
Madison Dane Wisconsin USA North America Northern hemisphere Earth |
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Journey to the Edge of the Universe - how big IS the Universe?
Although we do not know how big our Universe is, clicking here may give you a better perspective. [It requires that your computer uses Adobe Flash. If your computer can't use Adobe Flash, don't worry about doing this. On the left is a short video, but if you're REALLY interested, another great documentary is National Geographic's 'Journey to the Edge of the Universe.' You're not required to watch it, but, you can ask your parent to help you find it online. When you click on the video to the left, near the top you'll see it say "Watch on YouTube." Click on that to watch the video on YouTube. |
Comparing all of time to a one year calendar
Imagine if you could squeeze all time (13.7 billion years) since the Big Bang into a one year calendar. When does life appear? When did the dinosaurs die out? When does man appear?
I. Big Bang
A. ALL time, space, energy and matter were thought to be created 13.8 Billion years ago in an event called the Big Bang.
B.The Big Bang (aka “singularity”) was not an explosion, but an expansion of space that continues today
C.The first galaxies and stars formed less than a 1/2 billion years after the Big Bang
This image on the left shows how the Universe is expanding over time. Note how the galaxies are spreading further apart, much like the balloon model we used in class.
II. Galaxies
The Milky Way Galaxy
A. Galaxies are huge clusters of gas, dust, stars & planets
1. There are many shapes of galaxies (see below)
a. Ex. spiral, elliptical or irregular
B. There are trillions of galaxies in the Universe
C. Within galaxies, stars are "born, live & die"
1. Stars are "born" in star nurseries called 'nebulae'
a. Nebulas are vast clouds of gas & dust
i. Often result from exploding stars (supernovae)
D. Our Sun is 1 star in a large galaxy called the Milky Way
1. The Milky Way contains 200 - 400 billion stars
2. It is a spiral galaxy
3. Our Sun is located within one arm of the spiral called the Orion arm
1. There are many shapes of galaxies (see below)
a. Ex. spiral, elliptical or irregular
B. There are trillions of galaxies in the Universe
C. Within galaxies, stars are "born, live & die"
1. Stars are "born" in star nurseries called 'nebulae'
a. Nebulas are vast clouds of gas & dust
i. Often result from exploding stars (supernovae)
D. Our Sun is 1 star in a large galaxy called the Milky Way
1. The Milky Way contains 200 - 400 billion stars
2. It is a spiral galaxy
3. Our Sun is located within one arm of the spiral called the Orion arm
Galaxies come in different shapes or 'morphologies'
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Examples of different types of galaxies
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Nebulas are where stars are born
A nebula is a gigantic cloud of dust and gas in space. Nebulas are often created when a very large star explodes (called a supernova). The explosion releases gas, dust and particles to form the nebula. Over time, gravity pulls the dust and gases together to form stars, which is why nebulas are also called "star nurseries."