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The Big Bang Theory states that the universe began approximately 13.8 billion years ago from an infinitely dense, hot state and has been expanding and cooling ever since. Evidence includes the cosmic microwave background radiation (CMB) — the afterglow of the Big Bang detected in 1964 by Arno Penzias and Robert Wilson (who initially thought it was pigeon droppings contaminating their antenna).
The CMB, Hubble's discovery of galactic expansion, the abundance of light elements (hydrogen, helium), and large-scale galactic structure all confirm the Big Bang model. What happened 'before' the Big Bang, and the nature of the singularity itself, remains unknown — the laws of physics as currently understood break down at the very moment of creation.
# Top 10 Big Bang Theory facts
- 1The cosmic microwave background — the Big Bang's afterglow — was initially mistaken for pigeon droppings on an antenna
- 2The Big Bang name was coined dismissively by astronomer Fred Hoyle, who opposed the theory
- 3At t=0, all matter, energy, space, and time were compressed into a singularity — physics cannot describe what came before
Fascinating Facts
- ◆The cosmic microwave background — the Big Bang's afterglow — was initially mistaken for pigeon droppings on an antenna
- ◆The Big Bang name was coined dismissively by astronomer Fred Hoyle, who opposed the theory
- ◆At t=0, all matter, energy, space, and time were compressed into a singularity — physics cannot describe what came before
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