Fact 1: The Age and Origin of the Universe
According to modern cosmology, the universe was formed approximately 13.8 billion years ago as a result of the Big Bang. However, the question of what happened before this event remains unanswered.
Some theoretical models suggest that the universe may have a cyclical nature: it expands, then contracts back into a singular point, and the process repeats. Although this “cyclic universe” model is intriguing, it has not yet been experimentally confirmed.
Fact 2: Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation – The Main Evidence
One of the strongest pieces of evidence supporting the Big Bang theory is the cosmic microwave background radiation. This radiation was discovered in 1965 and had been theoretically predicted beforehand.
Scientists believe that this radiation formed approximately 380,000 years after the Big Bang and serves as the “thermal imprint” of the early universe.
Fact 3: The Steady-State Theory
An alternative theory is the steady-state model, which claims that the universe is eternal and unchanging, with neither a beginning nor an end.
However, modern observations—particularly the fact that galaxies are moving away from one another—have weakened this model. Still, some theorists argue that the Big Bang may have affected only the portion of the universe that we can observe.
Fact 4: Religion and Cosmology
Many major world religions do not consider the Big Bang theory to be in conflict with religious belief. On the contrary, the idea that the universe originated from a specific starting point aligns with certain theological perspectives.
Hindu philosophy emphasizes the cyclical nature of the universe—where the concepts of beginning and end are relative. In this sense, interesting parallels can be drawn with some cosmological models.
Fact 5: The Temperature of the Universe
The temperature of the cosmic microwave background radiation is approximately 3 Kelvin (−270.15 °C). Measurements conducted in various countries have yielded the same results.
This consistency strengthens the reliability of the Big Bang model.
Fact 6: The Explosion Did Not Occur at a Single Point
The Big Bang was not an explosion in the classical sense occurring at a specific location in space. According to the theory, expansion began simultaneously at all points in space.
In other words, there was no boundary between empty space and matter—the space itself was expanding. This concept is difficult for the human mind to intuitively grasp.
Fact 7: The Mystery of the First Moments
Modern physics can model the events that occurred fractions of a second after the Big Bang. However, the earliest stage—time intervals approaching zero—remains theoretically unexplained.
Various quantum and cosmological theories attempt to describe this phase, but none have yet been empirically verified.
Fact 8: The Future of the Universe
It is believed that the universe has been continuously expanding and cooling since the Big Bang. If this process is irreversible, the universe may eventually reach a state known as “heat death” in the infinitely distant future.
At that stage, entropy would approach its maximum, and energy would be evenly distributed. However, this remains a theoretical prediction.
Fact 9: Cosmic Singularity
According to some models, before the Big Bang the universe existed in a state of cosmic singularity—characterized by infinite density and nearly zero size.
After expansion began, space and time started expanding simultaneously in all directions. This concept cannot be fully explained by the laws of classical physics.
Fact 10: The Greatest Question
The Big Bang theory explains the processes that occurred after the event, but it does not answer the question: “What existed before it?”
There is even the possibility that time itself began with the Big Bang.
For this reason, while the Big Bang theory is a powerful scientific model, it does not fully address all questions concerning the origin of the universe.
Conclusion
The Big Bang is one of the foundational pillars of modern cosmology and the most robust scientific explanation for the origin of the observable universe.
However, science has not yet provided definitive answers about the ultimate beginning or future of the cosmos.
As our knowledge of the universe expands, so too do the questions we ask—and this is a natural part of scientific progress.