The video entailed an analysis of various theories and experiments that have been used to prove the validity of the big bang. The Hubble Space Telescope and the Spitzer Space Telescope are the instruments used to measure the increasing expansion of the universe. These instruments are used to make observations and retrieve deep images of thousands of objects and stars around the universe. All these instruments have been used to validate the big bang theory which observes that the universe started through a bang in the form of a big light. The universe started out this way through photons which were quite hot and it started cooling in the years that followed.
The physicist’s history of the universe observes that 400,000 years after the big bang that there were atoms present. According to the video, after the Big Bang, there would be a sea of electrons, protons, neutrons, photons, and neutrinos in the universe. 1 billion years after, the stars and galaxies are proof of the big bang while physicists observe these phenomena 14 billion years after the big bang.
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There were missions launched to observe the universe after it was 400,000 years. The Cosmic Background Explorer (COBE) initially mapped a primordial cold and hot spots in its cosmic background radiation. The spots were related to the gravitational field as seen in the early Universe. The second mission to observe the cosmic background radiation was through the Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAB) which marked a significant increase in resolution compared to COBE. It surveyed the entire sky and measured temperature differences of microwave radiation. There was a picture showed that there was a map of the sky that had cooler and hot regions in blue and red. The evidence of the models concluded that the Universe is Flat which indicated that geometry of space satisfies rules of Euclidean geometry. The measurements are as seen in figure 1.
In order to further observe how the universe inflated at less than one second, gravitational waves have to be analyzed. Gravitational waves remain the only known form of information that can reach the earth in undistorted form after the big bang. However, the current technology cannot measure gravity-wave with the right sensitivity and additional technology are being experimented to improve the sensitivity.
Figure 1: WMAP measurements
The recipe for the universe according to professor Andrew Lange is that 4.6% is made of 4.6% ordinary matter, 23% some unknown type of cold dark matter while 72% is made of dark energy that has enormous tension and is accelerating the expansion. Additionally, the video indicated that there was an assumption that the universe would slow its rate of expansion. This is because mass creates pull and the pull must slow expansion. However, observations by the supernovae showed that the universe is increasingly expanding instead of slowing. This indicated that the universe is being pulled apart by dark energy.
Video 2: Understanding the Universe
The second video deals with understanding the universe and analyzes some of the questions and history of the stars. One of the questions answered in the video is whether the universe is old or young. The “red-shift” phenomenon in the video provides an explanation that the universe is younger than many initially thought. The redshift is based on the fact that galaxies are shifting away from each other and they have their light shifted to the red end of the spectrum due to the stretching of wavelengths. However, there is also a portion that has a blue shift which is moving towards the earth. Astronomers thus observe the inclination of the galaxy before making an estimate. The supernova and nova which are exploding stars are transient astronomical events critical in the observation of stars.
There are several methods that can be used to measure the age of the stars. This can be observed by measuring the rate of expansion and finding the oldest stars. The expansion of the universe theorized that the universe could have emerged about 15-20 billion years ago. However, the video indicated that an experiment of the star cluster years showed that the age of the universe could be 8-12 billion years. However, such observations of cluster years have also shown that there are some stars which are actually older than the universe. Such an observation conflicts with the theory of the big bang.
The video also observes some of the challenges in astronomy and the observation of stars. One of the challenges is that there is a huge distortion from the air in the earth. This was solved through the use of laser beams that observe beyond the earth’s atmosphere. Additionally, the use of infrared technology can be used to view deeper into the universe. However, the infrared technology still observes a limited section of the universe which is approximately 5%. The invisible side of the universe is known as the dark matter.
The video also introduces the concept and the use of different lights of the electromagnetic spectrum such as the x-ray, radio waves, and infrared to be used to study astronomy. Most electromagnetic radiation from space is usually not able to reach the earth’s surface. However, infrared wavelengths can be observed by putting telescopes in the right places such as mountain tops.
A section of the video also shows about Star Trek and how the film was created based on the laws of the universe. The Star Trek Voyager provides a fictional experience about worm holes and black holes. Black holes are observed to have been made from a cluster of stars. They are made after an incredibly dense remnant of the star collapses into a singularity by its own. The video also observes the mystery behind black holes like that which was theorized by Hawking to produce another universe. Wormholes were observed by star trek as a tunnel that connected two separate points in time and space. One was to have a micro-unit size in order to move through the wormhole.
Video 3: Exploring the Stars in our Galaxy
The main theme of the video was to showcase the steps undertaken by the European Southern Observatory (ESO). The ESO was established in the Southern hemisphere due to poor weather and poor views of the north. The south provided the best views of the universe and the stars. Since it was established, the ESO built large telescopes which were used to stars such as the Supernova 1987A. This was the closest observed supernova and was an opportunity for the astronomers to study the development of supernova with much detail. The video provides an explanation to some of the telescopes that are increasingly being used to observe the universe.
The ESO has built the most technologically advanced and largest telescopes. For instance, the Very Large Telescope (VLT) is made of four individual 8.2 m telescopes and another four auxiliary telescopes that work together separately. The telescopes are made from mirrors which are made to be very thin and are 20cm to provide the best viewing experience. The technology used by the ESO is the adaptive optics (AO) through the use of lasers. Adaptive optics allows for the improvement of observation of performance the optical systems through reducing effects of incoming wavefront distortions and deforming the mirror so as to compensate for the distortions. The technology works through the use of a laser beam that is directed to the center of the Milky Way which can then be used as a guide star for adaptive optics.
The ESO also makes use of optical interferometry where different telescopes work together so as to obtain measurements that have a higher resolution compared to that which could have been obtained when each of the telescopes was working individually. Additionally, spectroscopy is a technology used to study the interaction between electromagnetic radiation and matter. Long-slit spectroscopy is done where an elongated object like a galaxy is viewed through an elongated slit and light is refracted through a device like a prism.
A section of the video is dedicated is also dedicated to the search of exoplanets and the presence of life outside the universe. The ESO also hunts for exoplanets through the use of its telescopes. One way to discover exoplanets is the use of gravitational microlensing. A planet and its parent star transits before the telescope providing a clear view of the exoplanet. The exoplanet absorbs the light of the parent star. Many exoplanets today are increasingly being discovered this way. The development and improvement of this technology could be used to identify the presence of life and aliens in outer space. The ESO is increasingly working on new technologies such as the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA). ALMA is made of 66 high-precision antennas which are spread across more than 16 kilometers. It operates like a giant zoom lens where the antennas provide high-resolution images. The technology has been used to track down organic molecules. The European Extremely Large Telescope (ELT) is also a part of the ESO is the largest optical ELT under construction. The technology would be used for further study of the universe and may solve several mysteries.
