Wednesday, January 21, 2009

A brief explanation of The Big Bang

Here's a brief and simple explanation of something that is still expanding until today, the universe. I will be using the Big Bang theory as the cosmological blue print for this explanation. This theory has been widely accepted by scientists since the 1930's. It states that the universe started out from a very small, dense, and hot condition about 13.7 billion years ago. Think of it as a ball of energy ("a primeval atom" in Georges LemaƮtre's words) out to cause a great explosion that would set everything in motion. This caused everything to fly away from everything else with no center. One could only imagine what great destruction or beauty that might have been. As the point (primeval atom) got bigger, it caused space and time.

Studies and observations that scientists have made have confirmed the Big Bang model. Other models leave more questions than answers, like the idea of a fine tuned universe (who fine tunes it?).

To continue, there are various observations that support the Big Bang Theory. One of which is the amounts of chemical elements found in the universe. These are hydrogen, helium, and lithium.

Another important evidence is the red shift of very far away galaxies. The red shift is due to the Doppler effect, which is the change in the frequency of a wave that occurs when the source and observer are in motion relative to each other. The frequency increases when the source and observer approach each other and decreases when they move apart. Thus, an object moving towards the earth will look brighter compared to one moving away from it. Using this effect, scientists have measured the rate at which objects in space move and, as a result, have also estimated the age of the universe. According to their calculations, the age of the universe is 13.7 billion years old. This means that everything at that point in time was actually in the same place. The universe must have been extremely hot when it was in its early stage. This we know of because celestial bodies become colder as they expand.

Unfortunately, many people tend to incorporate the idea of the Big Bang Theory with their passed-down mystical nonsense. This is the case with cosmology, the study of the universe in its totality and humanity's place in it or, simply, the study of “all that is”. In the field of biology, Darwin's Theory of Evolution is also burdened with the same problem. Mystics and alike (religious fanatics for the most part) have misused these theories to support their claims when, in fact, they do the exact opposite of that: debunk them Oh, these nuts are a confused lot, all right, and they're out to drag along the misinformed and the gullible. Ambassadors of Intelligent Design, an assertion that the universe was caused by an intelligent designer, have maligned the credibility of the Big Bang Theory and the Theory of Evolution by paraphrasing them in support of their supernatural exploits. Religion, indeed, is pseudoscience at its finest.

The Big Bang model gives us a simple explanation that the universe began in an extremely small and hot space and has expanded henceforth. It gives measurements to show that the universe is still expanding today. The Big Bang Theory is scientific, meaning, that it stemmed from systematic research that involved experimentation and testing. Intelligent Design, on the other hand, is nothing like it. It is mystical. There is no way that it can be observed and tested as its claims goes beyond the senses.

Merging science with the supernatural smears the name of science and shrouds the truth from mankind. This is slander of no greater degree.


Lets go on a trip! back to the big bang!

Last night I came home very late because along the way home I decided to take a walk! instead of taking a nice comfy ride in a cab I delighted myself with cigarettes and the empty sky above me. Sometimes it serves as a therapy for me as it brings good memories. But at that time it was somewhat trippy! I had my mp3 player on shuffle then as I pressed play the bass drums began its roaring sound that had a marching beat. It was on 32 counts. The low-fi bass was next to enter the aural parade then the sawy sound of a synthesizer that pretty much sound like an electrical current. My mind begun to wonder... and there I was at the point were the universe begun.

I was afraid at that time as I thought i lost my vision. I tried to move but it didn't seem like I was moving at all! For all there was was emptiness. But then out of nowhere I saw this very small and dense thing. I was captured by its presence, I lacked words to describe what was before me. As it grows in size it gave me a feeling like I was in a desert. I was sweating like i was under a scorching Arabian sun. I have to get away, I had to hurry, I had to run away, I told my self as I was catching my breath. Getting further away from this massive ball of energy is all that i had in mind that time. The situation got worse and demanded a lot of physical effort and as expected the massive ball of energy exploded and spewed a lot of colors for me to ponder around.

The explosion caused a parade of lights. What symphony it was to my eyes! From that moment on I had a point of reference and it felt like I was home for there was time and space, now. As the space expands at a greater speed I realize I was already home sitting under my grandpa's acacia tree. What a trip it was! A journey to the past. A looked into the the origin of the universe or was I just hungry? you know what follows.


Serpent Universe

Have you ever wondered how the universe came to be? Could something come out of nothing? These are the questions that have confronted man since the dawn of time and until now man is still searching for answers.

Awhile ago a friend asked me this question: “Could something come out of nothing?” Sounded like a religious question ( ex nihilo, nihil fit), so I stopped for a moment and decided to humor him with my answer, “Like a wriggler or a maggot coming to life? Is that what you mean?” He was a bit shocked as he was probably expecting a metaphysical answer. Though gross as it may sound to some, no one can deny that this sort of thing (wriggler-maggot coming to life) unfolding right in front of you is somewhat magical. That means that magic is simply the lack of observation on the part of the perceiver. We are drawn to believe because we couldn't explain it naturally (as of yet, that is), so what better way to explain such phenomenon? The supernatural!

Were you ever told as a kid that an eclipse happens when a serpent devours the sun? I know I was and some of the kids I knew before too. Imagine a gigantic serpent out to eat the sun! Yes, the sun itself. As adults with the ability to reason, we should have figured that this story is laughable and untrue. Yet there are still people who cling to their primitive views rather than accepting scientific facts. Science has replaced these mambo jumbo superstitions, as it should, with observable explanations.

Anyway, I'll take anything over a natural phenomenon explanation that involves over-sized reptiles swallowing heavenly bodies.