Fascinating Facts About the Big Bang Theory You Didn’t Know

As humans, we often get caught up in our own lives dealing with work, family, loss, relationships, money, and more. It’s easy to forget that right above us is a vast universe full of stars, planets, moons, and other far-away galaxies. The universe is so fascinating and mind-bending that it conjures up many questions, with the biggest being how did we get here?

There are several theories regarding the creation of the universe and while numerous ideas have been floated around, the Big Bang Theory is the most commonly accepted among those who trust science. Humans laughed at the concept at one point, but this theory concerning the creation of the world is now part of pop culture. It’s even briefly described during the beginning of the credits for the hit TV series The Big Bang Theory, a nerd favorite starring the likes of Jim Parson, Mayim Bialik, and Johnny Galecki.

As you can imagine, there’s much more intrigue and mystery than the show’s opening doesn’t cover when it comes to the actual science behind the Big Bang Theory. So join us as we travel through space and time and discover the amazing facts about the Big Bang Theory that will blow your mind. 

1. The Big Bang

The Big Bang Theory proposes the universe started as a hot and dense dot. Our entire galaxy managed to squeeze itself into this steaming dot. How this tiny dot of a universe came to be is still a mystery to scientists.

Some suggest it started as an even smaller dot. Whatever the reason, the heat in the tiny dot kept increasing until it couldn’t contain itself anymore and exploded, creating the universe. The Big Bang occurred roughly 13.8 billion years ago when the heat in the dot caused it to expand and cool. 

2. The Universe Keeps Expanding

Stars, planets, and moons didn’t just pop up when the universe expanded. The universe was nothing but dark matter, which still exists, but once the Big Bang happened, the universe began cooling, forming neutral atoms and atomic nuclei. Eventually gravity started to pull in objects to create the galaxy.

It took roughly 50 to 100 million for the first stars to appear in the universe. It then took another 150 to 250 million years for the first galaxies to form, with galaxies like the Milky Way requiring billions of years to manifest. Generations of stars lit up the sky, burnt up, and endured supernova explosions before any human life existed on Earth. The solar system existed almost 900 million years after the Big Bang, which is insane when you think about it. Since the Big Bang occurred, the galaxy has continued to expand and there are many more galaxies out there we are yet to discover. 

3. George Lemaître Proposes the Big Bang Theory

Born in Belgium in 1894, astronomer, theoretical physicist, and Catholic priest Georges Lemaître was one of the first to propose the Big Bang. He claimed the universe was continuously expanding, causing other galaxies to move far away. Lemaître’s work emanated from the work of Soviet physicist Alexander Friedmann’s general relativity equations proposed in 1922.

Friedmann was the first to claim the universe is continuously expanding. Based on Friedmann’s work, Lemaître suggested the Big Bang Theory and the beginning of the world. In 1927, he theorized that the universe has continued to expand since materializing from its small and dense uniform state. At first, prominent scientists disagreed with his theory but it didn’t take long for most of them to come on board, although Albert Einstein had his doubts. 

4. Albert Einstein Doubted the Big Bang

Physicist Albert Einstein is widely considered one of the most intelligent humans to walk planet Earth. He made numerous groundbreaking discoveries, with his most notable being the theory of relativity. In 1915, Einstein drew from Newton’s theory of gravity to develop his idea. In 1927, priest Georges Lemaître based his idea about the Big Bang on Einstein’s theory of relativity. Einstein openly admitted he didn’t believe in Lemaître’s theory about the expanding universe and its history and dismissed it as nonsense. 

While he did agree that Lemaître’s math was correct, Einstein refused to accept the theory. The theoretical physicist even wrote to Lemaître, saying “Vos calculs sont corrects, mais votre physique est abominable,” which translates to, “Your calculations are correct, but your physics is atrocious.” While Einstein initially doubted the theory, Lemaître had support from others who were regarded highly in the scientific world, including Edwin Hubble. 

5. Hubble’s Law

Edwin Hubble is one of the most influential astronomers in history. His legacy continues with various tributes, such as the Hubble Space Telescope. Edwin established Hubble’s Law using the Friedmann equations and Georges Lemaître’s work. In 1929, Hubble confirmed the presence of cosmic expansion, known as the Hubble constant. In other words, Hubble proved that galaxies far from Earth are moving away faster the further they move.

Hubble’s law is a vital piece of the Big Bang Theory. Many scientists often point to Hubble’s Law as proof the Big Bang Theory occurred billions of years ago. Not everyone agreed with these new theories, especially those that supported other hypotheses, but it is widely seen as fact. 

6. The Big Bang’s Biggest Critic Coined the Phrase

Like many astronomers at the time, Fred Hoyle firmly believed in the Steady-State Theory of the Universe. The Steady-State Theory was the leading hypothesis from the 1940s to the 1960s. In contrast to the Big Bang Theory, the Steady-State Theory focuses on the density of matter staying unchanged in the expanding galaxy. The perfect cosmological principle claims the universe is always the same and never changes. Hoyle was one of the most vocal opponents of The Big Bang.

In a funny turn of events, Hoyle was the one to come up with the name “Big Bang.” Hoyle coined the phrase during a 1949 BBC interview. He noted, “One [idea] was that the Universe started its life a finite time ago in a single huge explosion and that the present expansion is a relic of the violence of this explosion. This big bang idea seemed to me to be unsatisfactory even before detailed examination showed that it leads to serious difficulties.” 

7. George Gamow Finds Fresh Evidence 

For a time, there was a big debate between the Big Bang and Steady-State Theories. Soviet scientist George Gamow set out to prove Georges Lemaître’s concept of the Big Bang Theory. In the 1940s, Gamow made a very vital discovery in proving the theory correct. Gamow realized the wavelength of light in the universe was increasing over time due to the universe expanding. He found the universe continues to cool, allowing it to expand.

Working backward, Gamow theorized that the universe must have been hotter to start cooling. That indicates the universe was the hottest at the beginning when it was still a dot. The intense heat prevented atomic nuclei and neutral atoms from forming. Once the Big Bang occurred, the universe began to cool, expand, and form atoms and light elements. Gamow’s evidence convinced many scientists and researchers that the Big Bang Theory was more likely than the Steady State, which soon fell out of favor. 

8. Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation

While scientists search for answers, the universe often provides hints and clues to its intriguing past. For example, when the Big Bang occurred, it left traces of radiation. Better known as Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation or CMB, it indicates the universe was perfectly uniform before the Big Bang. However, it left over a glow of non-uniformities suggesting it began expanding and fluctuating. That paved the way for forming stars, galaxies, and the universe. Scientists often point to the CMB as evidence of the Big Bang Theory and the expanding universe. 

9. Holmdel Horn Antenna Proves the Big Bang Theory

The historic Holmdel Horn Antenna was a large antenna at Bell Telephone Laboratories in Holmdel Township, New Jersey. In 1965, radio astronomers Robert Wilson and Arno Penzias heard a strange radio sound emerging from everywhere in the sky. They attempted to adjust the antenna, but the sound persisted. They assumed they had resolved the problem when they found a bird’s nest in the antenna, however, after cleaning out the antenna, the sound continued.

It was then Wilson and Penzias realized what they had been hearing. The antenna picked up the cosmic microwave background radiation the Big Bang left behind. This proved Georges Lemaître and George Gamow’s Big Bang Theory and the creation of the universe. Wilson and Penzias received the Nobel Prize for their discovery.

10. Before the Big Bang

Opponents of the Big Bang Theory often question the origin of the universe. As noted, evidence suggests the universe was once a tiny little dot in space. That brings up a simple question; how did the dot get there?

Scientists admit they don’t have a good answer. What they have uncovered is further evidence proposing the dot was in a different state. It might have been smaller and expanded into the dot. Additional evidence discovered points to the universe consisting of helium, hydrogen, and other gases, causing it to heat up. Scientists continue to dive deep into the universe, trying to uncover answers about its mysterious history. 

11. Beyond the Big Bang

The Universe is a complex place full of the unknown. While the Big Bang Theory explains how everything began, it doesn’t indicate how it’ll end. As the universe expands, other galaxies will eventually become invisible to humans. Some evidence suggests that constant expansion will result in the Universe freezing, or it may become so big that it retracts back into a tiny dot. One thing is for sure, it will happen long after we are gone.