Cosmology Lesson

COSMOLOGY

Lesson Slides

2

I can describe the

evidence that

supports the Big Bang

model.

1

I can explain how the

universe formed.

I can describe and

explain the Big Bang

model.

LEARNING OBJECTIVE & SUCCESS CRITERIA

3

I can detail my

understanding of the
Big Bang model using

images and text.

I am learning to understand the scientific
explanation of how the universe began.

Give your best answer without looking

things up. “I don’t know” is not an

acceptable answer.

How do YOU think

the universe

formed?

How did the universe form?
The generally accepted answer
to this question is the Big Bang
theory, and you will spend the

next couple of class periods

learning more about how the

universe formed.

01

BIG BANG
THEORY

Watch Video & Then Answer Questions

Multiple Choice

What is the estimated age of the universe in the video?

• 1.3 million years

• 13.8 billion years

• C) 138 trillion years

• 13.8 million years

Multiple Select

1. What are the two simplest elements that were formed after the Big Bang?

• Hydrogen

• Helium

• Carbon

• Oxygen

Multiple Choice

What is the significance of the Cosmic Background Radiation mentioned in the video?

• Proof of extraterrestrial life

• Evidence of the Big Bang

• Formed by the sun's radiation

• static noise interference

Multiple Choice

Who provided the key observation to support the theory of an expanding universe?

• Henrietta Leavitt

• Georges Lemaitre

• Edwin Hubble

• William Anders

Multiple Choice

What is the term used in the video to describe the period following the Big Bang when the universe was extremely hot?

• Dark Ages

• Golden Age

• Industrial Revolution

• Renaissance

Multiple Choice

What groundbreaking discovery was made by researchers at Bell Laboratories in New Jersey in the 1960s?

• First Moon Landing

• Cosmic microwave background radiation
• Invention of the internet
• Discovery of dark matter

READING ASSIGNMENT

Read this attached Evidence of
the Big Bang article and then
answer the 3 questions at the end
of the reading.

Link address here:
https://docs.google.com/documen
t/d/1sSaK_1RFIVJ1n3BnmuhtQvI
x2KKtEBWasV_wad0C-1k/edit?u
sp=sharing

BACKGROUND

RADIATION

THE BIG BANG THEORY EVIDENCE

INVESTIGATING

SPECTRA (COLOR)

Evidence of creation and

expansion of the
Universe through…

●

Scientists have evidence
that the universe is
13.7 billion years old

●

But it all came from one
point….the big bang!

THE BIG BANG THEORY

●

States that all matter and
energy started out
concentrated in a small
area, smaller than an atom

●

After Gigantic Explosion,
matter organized itself into
subatomic particles and
later atoms

●

The first atoms to form
were Hydrogen and
Helium

THE BIG BANG THEORY

What needed to change in order for the creation of

atoms (combining of electrons, protons and neutrons)?

THE BIG BANG THEORY EVIDENCE

EVIDENCE #1

●

Energy created by this explosion expanded along with the
matter

●

This radiation has been traveling outwards in the universe and
cooling over billions of years, but can still be measured and
observed.

●

This original radiation is called:

Cosmic background radiation (CMB) which is long-wave
microwave radiation that appears to be coming from
everywhere in the universe!

Watch Video & Answer Questions

Multiple Choice

Which era have scientists recently detected for the first time through observations of Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation?

• The era of black holes formation

• The era of the first stars ignited

• The era of galaxy collisions

• The era of dark matter creation

Multiple Choice

What do the blue and red spots in the image of the whole sky represent in the Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation map?

• Slightly hotter and colder images of the sky

• Stars and galaxies distribution in the universe

• Areas with the most dark matter concentration

• Regions where cosmic rays are coming from

THE BIG BANG THEORY EVIDENCE

EVIDENCE #2

Red Shift Exhibited by observing the spectrum of distant
galaxies and stars over time

Electromagnetic Spectrum (EMS) Table

Watch Video & Answer Questions

THE BIG BANG THEORY EVIDENCE

Red = longest wavelength

Violet/Blue = shorter wavelengths

UNDERSTANDING THE SPECTRUM

●

Each element in the universe emits energy in different
wavelengths

●

The human eye observes different wavelengths of visible
light in the form of COLORS

●

We can look at the spectral signatures of stars and infer 2
things:

1.) Their Composition; which elements they are
composed of

2.) If they are moving towards or away from us (if the
spectral lines shift position with time)

HOW A SPECTROSCOPE WORKS

UNDERSTANDING THE SPECTRUM

This is what lithium gas in a tube would look like through a
spectroscope (The lines or “signature” tell us this is Lithium)

Each element has its own “spectrum” of color. If we saw this
signature in a distant galaxy, we would know that lithium
existed there

Watch Video & Answer Questions: The Doppler Effect
Explained

THE DOPPLER EFFECT EXPLAINED

●

The position of wavelengths (spectral lines), are shifted to
either the

a.) shorter wavelength/BLUE side or to the

b.) longer wavelength/RED side.

●

Because the universe is expanding, objects that are moving
apart from one another will cause the wavelengths of energy
to stretch or become longer, causing what’s known as a RED
SHIFT

●

MOST GALAXIES SHOW A RED SHIFT

If the object were moving TOWARD us, the spectral lines would shift
left (toward violet/blue end of the spectrum)

If the object were moving AWAY from us, the spectral lines would
shift right (toward red end of the spectrum)

Are there any galaxies that would appear to have a
blue shift?

●

The Andromeda galaxy will merge with ours in the future
○

It’s spectra is thus blue-shifted with time

●

Hubble’s Law states the Universe is Expanding!
○

The faster it’s expanding, the greater the redshift
(meaning, the further the spectral lines are shifted in the
spectrum)!

Expansion
of Universe

Galaxies move
further apart
over time