Red Shift And The Big Bang Flashcards
what is the universe currently doing
expanding
what does the expansion of the universe result in regarding the proximity of galaxies
they are moving away from each other
what have we discovered about the light coming from distant galaxies
the wavelength of it has increased
what is red-shift
- when wavelengths of light are longer than theyre meant to be
- they shift towards the red end of the spectrum
what does red-shifted light coming from a galaxy to us suggest
it suggests that the galaxy is moving away from us
what can the measurements of red-shift indicate
that distant galaxies are moving away from us very quickly all around us
what is the difference in red-shifts the further a galaxy is from us and what does this suggest
- more distant galaxies have greater red-shifts than nearer ones
- this means that more distant galaxies are moving away faster than nearer ones
how does the balloon and dot model visualise how the expansion of the universe works
- dots are drawn on a balloon
- the balloon is blown up (expanded)
- as it expands, the dots travel further away from each other
- dots are drawn on a balloon
- the balloon is blown up (expanded)
- as it expands, the dots travel further away from each other
a large explosion (the big bang)
what is the theory of the big bang
- in the beginning, all matter in the universe existed in a small space
- the space was very hot and dense
- it exploded randomly and started expanding to create space
- as it continues to expand, matter cooled and allowed for things made by heavier elements to form
what do scientists think the universe is mainly made up of
dark matter and energy
what is dark matter
the name given to an unknown substance that holds galaxies together
what is the role of dark energy thought to be in the universe
that its responsible for the accelerating expansion of the universe
why do we know so little about dark matter
its hard to observe because it doesnt emit any radiation
why is the energy responsible for the expansion of the universe called dark energy
because we dont know pretty much anything about it or how it works, it is just the name we have given to the ‘reason’ of the universe’s accelerating expansion when it physically shouldnt be
