Our Expanding Universe

Our Expanding Universe:

Humanity’s changing vision of the cosmos

Presented
Structure by: Name,
and Evolution of Affiliation
the Universe
Workshop

Location and Date here

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Our Expanding Universe

What is Cosmology?

The Study of the Universe: its structure, origin, evolution, and destiny
Our universal “world view”
Our cosmological model

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Cosmology through the ages…

Universe models formed in many cultures

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Our View of the Cosmos - the story of scientific models

Astronomy has seen 3 scientific revolutions in cosmology

2nd Century: Claudius Ptolemy (Physics of Aristotle)

Model: Earth-centered Cosmology
Big Idea: Different laws for Earth and the cosmos

16th Century: Nicolaus Copernicus (Physics of Newton)

Model: Sun-centered Cosmology
Big Idea: Universal physics; same laws everywhere

20th Century: Edwin Hubble (Physics of Einstein)

Model: Big Bang Cosmology
Big Idea: Universe is changing, evolving

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Earth-centered Cosmology: Claudius Ptolemy, 100-170 AD

…“the natural motion of the Earth ….is towards the center of the universe;
that is the reason it is now lying at the center.”
Aristotle, On the Heavens
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Testing the Earth-centered model

Prediction: Future planetary positions

Observation: retrograde motion of planets

Refine: epicycles

Success! For 1500 years

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Testing the Earth-centered model

Prediction: Phases of Venus

Observation: Full set of phases Crisis!

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Sun-centered Cosmology: Nicolaus Copernicus 1473-1543

“At rest, however, in the middle of everything is the Sun.”

Nicholaus Copernicus, de Revolutionibus

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Testing the Sun-centered model

Prediction: Future planetary positions

Observation: No better than Ptolemy

Refine: elliptical orbits (Johannes Kepler 1571-1630)

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Our Expanding Universe

Testing the Sun-centered model

Prediction: Observed shift in position of stars (parallax) as the earth
Moves around the Sun.
Observation: No shift.

Crisis? No, but we had to wait until 1838 (Friedrich Bessel)

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Testing the Sun-centered model

Prediction: Sun at center of Cosmos

Observation: Sun is not at center of universe (1918)

Observation: The galaxy is not the entire universe (1923)

Crisis!

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Our Expanding Universe

Big Bang Cosmology: Albert Einstein (1879-1955)

“A human being is part of a whole, called by us

‘universe’, a part limited in time and space.”

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Our Expanding Universe

Testing the Big Bang model

Prediction: The universe is expanding

Observation: Galaxies are moving apart from each other (1929)

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Our Expanding Universe

Evidence for an expanding universe

The spectrum of hydrogen gas is the unique

fingerprint of that element

Hydrogen lamp

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Evidence for an expanding universe

When we see a repeat of the pattern we saw in

the lab, we know hydrogen is present

Orion Nebula

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Our Expanding Universe

Evidence for an expanding universe

We see the same repeating pattern of lines in

a galaxy, but displaced to the red

Galaxy UGC 12915

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Evidence for an expanding universe

The further the galaxy,

the more the shift to the red

Galaxy UGC 12508

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Evidence for an expanding universe

The greater the red shift,

the faster the galaxy is receding

Galaxy KUG 1750

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Evidence for an expanding universe

The red shift is caused

by the expansion of space.

Galaxy KUG 1217

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Evidence for an expanding universe

The red shift is evidence

for an expanding universe

Galaxy IRAS F09159

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Our Expanding Universe

Testing the Big Bang model

Prediction: If the universe was denser, hotter, in past, we should see

evidence of left-over heat from early universe.
Observation: Left-over heat from the early universe. (Penzias and Wilson, 1965)

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Our Expanding Universe

Testing the Big Bang model

Prediction: A hot, dense expanding universe, should be

predominantly hydrogen, helium.
Observation: Universe is ~75% hydrogen, ~25% helium by mass

The Sun: 74.5% H, 24% He by mass Cecilia Payne

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Testing the Big Bang model

Prediction: An expanding universe is evolving over time. If we look at the

early universe, it should appear different.
Observation: Distant galaxies less evolved, physically and chemically.

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Our Expanding Universe

Testing the Big Bang model

Observation: 90% of matter is an unknown form: Dark Matter.
Refine: A new and unknown form of matter exists. But its gravity
works the same way, and its presence is needed to explain how
the universe looks.

Vera Rubin

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Our Expanding Universe

Testing the Big Bang model

Observation: Expansion is accelerating.

Refine: Extra energy content.

A recent discovery and of unknown

origin,the concept of Dark Energy is
actually an integral part of Einstein’s
theory of gravity.

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Evidence for Dark Energy - supernovae as distance indicators - step 1

A dying star becomes a white dwarf.

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Our Expanding Universe

Evidence for Dark Energy - supernovae as distance indicators - step 2

The white dwarf strips gas from its stellar companion….

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Evidence for Dark Energy - supernovae as distance indicators - step 3

….and uses it to become a hydrogen bomb. Bang!

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Evidence for Dark Energy - supernovae as distance indicators - step 4

The explosion is as bright as an entire galaxy of stars….

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Our Expanding Universe

Evidence for Dark Energy - supernovae as distance indicators - step 5

…..and can be seen in galaxies across the universe.

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Our Expanding Universe

“Normal Matter”
4%

Dark Energy
73%

Dark Matter
23%

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Conclusions

• Big Bang model describes our current understanding

of the universe.

• New discoveries, such as dark matter and accelerating

expansion (Dark Energy), lead us to refine our model,
but there is no crisis in our understanding (yet).

• Science is an ongoing process - forcing us to test

our model through prediction and observation. The
more tests it passes, the greater is our confidence in it.

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The Future of Cosmology: Beyond Einstein

• What powered the Big Bang?

• What is Dark Energy?

• How did the Universe begin?

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Credits
Colliding galaxies: NASA & the Hubble Heritage Team Edge-on galaxy: Bruce Hugo and Leslie Gaul, Adam
(STScI) Block (KPNO Visitor Program), NOAO, AURA, NSF

Phases of Venus: Albert Van Helden Ring nebula: H. Bond et al., Hubble Heritage Team
(STScI / AURA), NASA
Star field: NASA/GSFC
White dwarf accretion: STScI, NASA
Andromeda: Palomar Observatory, P. Challis, CfA
Supernova Remnant: NASA/ESA/JHU/R.Sankrit
HGC 87: Gemini Observatory/GMOS-S & W.Blair
Galaxy cluster: Jean-Charles Cuillandre (CFHT), Galaxy and supernova data: High-Z Supernova
Hawaiian Starlight, CFHT Search Team, HST, NASA
Orion nebula: MicroObservatory, SAO Composition of the universe: SAO
Galaxy data: courtesy Emilio Falco, CfA Spacecraft and Einstein probes: NASA
Comic microwave background: NASA/WMAP ALBERT EINSTEIN and related rights ™/© of The
Sun: SOHO/NASA/ESA Hebrew University of Jerusalem, used under license.
Represented by the Roger Richman Agency, Inc.,
Cecilia Payne: President and Fellows of Harvard College www.albert-einstein.net
Early galaxies: NASA, Richard Griffiths/JHU, Medium Please contact [email protected] for more
Deep Survey Team information about non-credited historical images.

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Our Expanding Universe

Additional Credits
This presentation was initially developed for the “Modeling the Universe” educator workshop
by the Universe Education Forum and our NASA mission partners.
For additional information and activities related to the themes of this presentation, please
visit the “Modeling the Universe” web site:
http://www.universeforum.org/mtu/
This collaboration is part of the education and public outreach program from NASA’s
Science Mission Directorate.

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