• Question: finally! you can read my question! why do scientists say that the Universe is expanding? who actually knows if it is expanding from a singularity? maybe it started expanding from a set point?

    Asked by to Ben, Dave, Ditte, Heather, Rebecca on 18 Jun 2014. This question was also asked by .
    • Photo: Ben White

      Ben White answered on 18 Jun 2014:

      Hi @coursework3, this may be beyond some of us here- I’m sure most of us are fans of Brian Cox, Stephen Hawkins and astronomy though!

      The expansion of the Universe was first recognized by Edwin Hubble (you may recognize his last name; Hubble Telescope) . Edwin discovered the universe was expanding by measuring the redshift (think brightness) of stars and plotting this against distance, he found that the redshift increased in relation to the distance of the stars. Once scientists understood this, they began to think that the universe must have started at a very small set point- where the big bang was.

      My understanding is that before the big bang as there was a singularity; time, space, everything was on top of itself at one point. For some reason (I’m not a physicist) quantum fluctuations started to happen and then the Big Bang and inflation occurred; this inflation only lasted 10^36 seconds (that’s 36 zeros).
      This picture below will probably help explain more than I can!

      All matter expanded and started to sprew out from being on top of each other into space, it shot of in all directions from the point of the Big Bang.

    • Photo: Rebecca Gladstone

      Rebecca Gladstone answered on 18 Jun 2014:

      It sounds like you know much more than me! As scientists we get to know a single subject very very well and know more about it than almost anyone else (for me that is just one type of bacteria!) but because we are so focused we don’t always know very much about other types of science, (sometimes even very similar science!) as we are working so hard to understand our little bit to share with the world! Thats why we need so many sicentists all working on their own small area that they find so interesting and move forward in every direction!

    • Photo: Dave Baker

      Dave Baker answered on 19 Jun 2014:

      It’s beyond me too bit very fascinating!

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