From Big Bang to Black Holes -...
Dirk Fallon
The origins of the universe are a subject of profound scientific interest and philosophical debate. The most widely accepted explanation for the birth of the cosmos is the Big Bang Theory. According to this theory, the universe began as an incredibly hot, dense point around 13.8 billion years ago. This singularity contained all of the matter and energy that would eventually form stars, galaxies, planets, and everything else that makes up the cosmos.
The event itself wasn’t an explosion in the traditional sense but a rapid expansion of space itself. Immediately following the Big Bang, the universe began to expand exponentially, a process known as cosmic inflation. During this phase, the universe grew from smaller than the size of an atom to a vast, nearly infinite expanse in an instant. The rapid expansion allowed matter and energy to cool, leading to the formation of elementary particles such as quarks, electrons, and neutrinos. As the universe continued to expand and cool, quarks combined to form protons and neutrons, which eventually led to the creation of simple atomic nuclei like hydrogen and helium.
After hundreds of thousands of years, the universe cooled enough for electrons to combine with protons and form neutral hydrogen atoms. This allowed light to travel freely, marking the beginning of what is known as the "cosmic dark ages." During this time, the universe was nearly invisible to the human eye, as light was scattered by free electrons. Eventually, gravity began to take hold, pulling matter together to form the first stars and galaxies.
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