Big Bang Theory: Where Its Name Came From & Why Its More Accurate Than the Steady State Theory

The Big Bang Theory is one of the famous theories on how the universe was created. However, an opposing model called the Steady State Model showed that the popular theory's claim is not true. But do you know that the word "big bang" started with a person who opposes the idea?

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Where Did the Phrase Big Bang Came?

On March 28, 1949, physicist Fred Hoyle appeared on a BBC program to discuss his own theories on how the universe began stating that it didn't actually begin. This is when the term steady state model first appeared.

Hoyle rejected the idea that the cosmos had a precise beginning and supported the steady state model, which holds that new stuff is constantly being created across the universe no matter how far back in time you go.

But you might be surprised to hear that person who believed the entire concept was absurd is the source of the term big bang. Yet, Kragh stated in his 2013 paper that Hoyle did not use the word derisively. He claimed that the name was not necessarily meant to criticize the theory. He merely believed that it accurately captured the explosive notion and made clear how it varied from the theory he supported.

What is the Big Bang Theory?

NASA explains that the Big Bang theory is the hypothesis that the universe started out as a single point, then grew and stretched to reach its current size. It was an idea by an astronomer named Georges Lemaître. He asserted that the cosmos began as a single point a very long time ago. He claimed that the universe might continue to stretch.

Space.com, on the other hand, simplifies the definition. According to the website, the Big Bang Theory demonstrates that the universe as we know it began with a single point that was infinitely hot and dense and expanded over the course of 13.8 billion years, first at unfathomable speeds and then at a more measurable rate.

However, since current technology does not yet allow astronomers to look back at the Big Bang, most of what we know about it comes from mathematical models and calculations. However, the cosmic microwave background, a phenomenon, allows astronomers to observe the expansion's echo.

What is the Steady State Model?

On March 28, 1949, physicist Fred Hoyle appeared on a BBC program to discuss his own theories on how the universe began, stating that it didn't actually begin. This is when the term "steady state model" first appeared.

Hoyle rejected the idea that the cosmos had a precise beginning and supported the steady state model, which holds that new stuff is constantly being created across the universe no matter how far back in time you go.

Sir James Jeans first presented the steady-state hypothesis in the 1920s, but Fred Hoyle, Thomas Gold, and Hermann Bondi's revision of it in 1948 gave it a major boost. A questionable rumor claims that they developed their notion after seeing the movie "Dead of Night," which concludes exactly as it began.

Particularly in opposition to the big bang theory, Hoyle became a prominent supporter of the theory. In fact, to describe the competing hypothesis, Hoyle used the term big bang in a mocking manner on a British radio program.

Michio Kaku, a physicist, offers one plausible explanation for Hoyle's commitment to the steady-state model and opposition to the big bang model in his book "Parallel Worlds." Kaku wrote that one flaw in the [big bang] theory was that Hubble had wrongly estimated the age of the universe to be 1.8 billion years due to mistakes in measuring light from far-off galaxies. According to geologists, the solar system and Earth are likely billions of years old. Kaku asked, "How could the planets be older than the universe?"

ALSO READ: Origins of the Universe: Big Bounce Hypothesis Could be True, But Where Did It Start?

The Problem with the Steady State Model

The evidence against the steady-state theory grows stronger with each new astronomical finding. For example, nearby galaxies didn't display several traits of farther-off galaxies, such as quasars and radio galaxies. There is no satisfactory explanation for this in terms of the steady-state hypothesis, but it makes sense in terms of the big bang theory, where the further galaxies actually represent younger galaxies and the nearby galaxies are older. In actuality, this is the kind of disparity that the theory was intended to eliminate.

The discovery of the cosmic microwave background radiation, which was anticipated as part of the big bang hypothesis but had no purpose within the steady-state theory. The discovery serves as the model's nail in the coffin.