The Big Bang remains a mystery in many ways. We have a lot of evidence for what happened just after, but we can only guess at what existed before. Observing the Universe tells us a lot about the Big Bang, yet scientists are still searching for more answers.
Driving Question: What evidence supports the Big Bang theory?
- Last week, we talked about where everything came from, and today, we’re going to explore that question even further! Our current scientific origin story in Big History is based on the Big Bang theory. So why do we believe it? What kind of evidence would it take to make a compelling argument that the Universe began 13.8 billion years ago?
Word of the Day: Big Bang
- A theory, first articulated in the 1920s, proposing that the Universe started out extremely hot and dense and gradually cooled off as it expanded.
Lesson
- In many ways, the Big Bang is still a mystery we’re trying to solve! Go to Khan Academy and watch the video Questions About the Big Bang. In it, astrophysicist Janna Levin explains what we know—and what we still don’t know—about the Big Bang. As you’re watching, think about the evidence that currently exists to support this theory.
Historian’s Journal Prompt
- What mysteries still exist in our understanding of the coronavirus? What questions do you have about it? Go see if you can solve some of these mysteries!
- Write about what we know (what is backed up by evidence) compared to what we still don’t know. Here are some questions that will help you dive deeply into this prompt in your journal today.
- Do we understand how it originated? What’s the evidence that supports that claim?
- Do we understand how the virus is transmitted? How did experts arrive at this conclusion?
- What do we still need to learn about the virus? How can we find those answers?
