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Chapter 18: Cosmology: The Nature of the Universe
The Big Bang Theory
The Big Bang Theory states that the universe began with the expansion of a primeval atom.
1) What led scientists to first propose the Big Bang theory? 2) What part did Edwin Hubble play in this?
Visit the The Big Bang Theory web site
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An Age Crisis?
Some astronomers are attempting to determine the age of the universe, while at the same time others are measuring the ages of the oldest stars.
Report on the "age crisis" that developed a few years ago.
Visit the How Old is the Universe? web site
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The Future of the Universe
The fate of the universe depends on the struggle between gravity and the momentum of expansion.
1) According to the latest data, is our universe open or closed? 2) Briefly describe how we can understand the fate of our universe.
Visit the The Cosmic Mirror web site
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Dark Matter
There is evidence for the existence of matter in the universe that exerts gravitational pull but does not emit nor absorb light. We call it "dark matter."
Report on what the evidence is for the existence of "dark matter" in the universe.
Visit the Dark Matter web site
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The Infrared Sky
This "Astronomy Picture of the Day" illustrates the infrared sky and provides links to explain it.
View the image of the infrared sky. 1) What are the three main sources of IR in this image? 2) Go to the "Universe itself provides ..." link and explain why the discovery of large amounts of infrared radiation throughout the universe is important to cosmologists.
Visit the APOD - The Infrared Sky web site
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The Large Scale Structure of the Universe
Galaxies are not spread uniformly throughout the universe. Nor are clusters of galaxies spread uniformly.
Write a general description of how matter is arranged in the universe, explaining what is meant by sheets and bubbles.
Visit the What Is Large Scale Structure? web site
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