Cosmogenesis
Cosmology – the study of the universe
Origin of the Universe – Big Bang, 13.73 bya
Matter and energy form and the universe rapidly expands
~200 million years of Dark Ages before any stars formed and light
could be emitted from them
After another ~200 million years, stars begin forming galaxies
Where Did It All Begin?
The Big Bang 13.73 bya Formation of Solar System 4.6 bya
The Universe Evolves and the Rate of
Expansion Continues to Increase
Courtesy of NASA/WMAP Science Team. Figure 01: Big Bang to now
Edwin Hubble at Mt. Wilson
Hubble’s observations at the 100 inch during the
1920’s led him to the conclusion that the universe
is expanding, and that an object’s recession velocity
is proportional to its distance from the observer.
Hubble guiding the Hooker
100 inch telescope in 1923. The Hooker 100 inch telescope atop Mt. Wilson
near Pasadena, CA. It was the largest telescope in
the world from 1917-1947.
Deep Hubble Space Telescope Image
A deep image of an “empty”
portion of the sky with the
Hubble Space Telescope
reveals that the universe is
filled with galaxies- many just
like our own. The light
we see from the most distant
galaxies has traveled approx-
imately 10 billion years to
reach us.
Using the Doppler Effect to Measure Velocity
Blueshift Redshift
Discovery of the Background Radiation from initial Big Bang
-Long wavelength
-came from all directions
Penzias and Wilson, 1965 Arecibo Dish, Puerto Rico
Mathematically, The Universe Is
Actually Flat, But Can Still
Expand
There is still a lot to be learned about the origin and nature of the universe
Figure 02B: Dark Energy
? ? and Dark Matter neither
absorb nor emit light
Some cosmologists argue that
there is a multiverse
Figure 02A: The universe is
made up of atoms
Early History of the Universe
Matter as we know it did not exist at the time of the Big
Bang, only pure energy. Within one second, the 4
fundamental forces were separated
gravity - the attraction of one body toward another
electromagnetic force - binds atoms into molecules, can
be transmitted by photons
strong nuclear force - binds protons and neutrons
together in the nucleus
weak nuclear force - breaks down an atom’s nucleus,
producing radioactive decay
The Future of the Universe
Density of ordinary matter in the universe is extraordinarily low, ~six
hydrogen atoms per cubic meter on average
If the universe had contained much more matter, it would have
collapsed back on itself
If the universe had contained much less matter, it would have
expanded forever, but probably never formed stars
The Origins of Solar
System
The Solar System
Our solar system,
part of the Milky
Way galaxy,
consists of the Sun,
planets, 64 known
moons, many
asteroids, millions
of comets, dwarf
planet, and
meteorites, as well
as interplanetary
dust and gases
The Solar System
Any model or theory for the formation of the Solar System must
have a set of explanations for large-scale and small-scale properties.
Large-Scale:
the planets are isolated in orderly intervals
orbits are nearly circular
orbits are in the same plane
all planets revolve prograde
Small-Scale:
the systems of moons can be divided into regular objects (spherical) with direct
orbits versus irregular objects with eccentric orbits
terrestrial planets have
i. high densities
ii. thin or no atmospheres
iii.rotate slowly
iv.rocky, poor in ices and H/He
jovian planets have
i. low densities
ii. thick atmospheres
iii.rotate rapidly
iv.many moons
v. fluid interiors, rich in ices, H/He
most of outer SS objects (not just jovian worlds) are ice-rich
• Solar System is orderly and the ages of its members uniform. All
indicators point to a single formation event about 4.6 billion years
ago.
• A great deal of evolution occurred in the Solar System.
• The atmospheres of the terrestrial worlds changes a lot
chemically, rings were formed, moons were captured, etc.
• So the Solar System is not a static system, it is dynamic.
Hypotheses explaining the origin of the
Solar System
1. Nebular Theory
can be credited to Emmanuel Swedenborg, Immanuel Kant,
and Pierre – Simon Laplace.
Origin of the Solar System
Interstellar dust and gases disturbed
by a nearby supernova
Gravity causes matter to coalesce
into the sun, planets, moons,
asteroids, comets, etc.
Formation requires more than 100
million years
Origin of the Solar System
5-5.6 bya Solar nebula
4.6 bya Sun and accretion disc
4.5 bya 4 inner terrestrial planets
4 outer gaseous planets
asteroids, comets, dwarf planets
Figure 03D:
Solidification of
planets
Early Earth Is Molten
Origin of the Moon
Big Whack
Earth collides with Mars-sized object
Ejected matter coalesces to form the Moon
Oldest Moon rocks are dated to 4.5 bya
The Moon Forms ―
A Major Influence on Living Systems
Theia makes a Big Splash; 30–50 million
years after the origin of the Solar System
1. The Nebular Theory explains that the solar system
originated from a nebula – a gas cloud made up of
hydrogen particles.
Before the nebula is stable, it is believed that a nearby
supernova resulted in the disruption of a nebula. This
disruption created areas of high density, and as these
areas were formed, gravity acted, pulling other
materials to it.
The denser the nebula became, the more
heat it produced that resulted in the
formation of the Sun.
At first, the Sun looked like a disc (imagine a CD),
and as it rotates, most of its mass fused in the center.
As the Sun forms, the remaining particles that were
not sucked up by the Sun formed as rings.
These rings of particles rotated and
combined to form planets. As it forms,
the denser materials, such as iron and
nickel, sank and the less dense materials,
such as gases, floated to the atmosphere
of the formed planets.
2. The Encounter Theory proposed by Georges
Leclerc and Comte de Buffon explains that the
solar system formed as a result of a near
collision between a passing star and the Sun.
As the star passes near the Sun, the materials of
both the Sun and the star were drawn out. The
interaction from the gravity of the passing star
and the Sun led to the formation of the planets
in the solar system.
It is believed that the materials from the Sun are denser.
This explains the positions of the terrestrial planets near the
Sun. In contrast, the materials from the passing star are less
dense; thus, explaining the positions of the Jovian planets
at a distance from the Sun.
Terrestrial and Jovian Planets
Terrestrial planets, including Mercury, Venus, Earth,
and Mars, were formed because only the materials
with higher densities and melting points were able to
form near the very high temperature of the Sun.
The Jovian
planets composed of Jupiter,
Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune,
are huge planets made up of
gases without land surfaces.
These planets were formed
farther from the Sun because
the temperature away from
the Sun was cool enough for
gases to condense, forming
these less dense planets.
The Protoplanet Theory is a modified version
3.
of the nebular hypothesis. Just like the nebular
theory, protoplanetary theorists Carl von
Weizsäcker and Gerard Kuiper believed that
the solar system started from a nebula.
An unidentified instability resulted in the pulling of dust particles
toward each other. This led to the formation of the “planetesimals”
– objects made up of dust and rock particles, which is believed to
be the origin of planets.
Planetesimals combined with other planetesimals and
formed protoplanets – larger planetesimals.
As the protoplanets formed, like the Sun, they became larger
as other materials condensed with them until the fusion of
hydrogen and helium happened.
This fusion led to the production of the heat of the Sun and
resulted to the blasting off of the protoplanets made up of gases.
The smaller protoplanets were attracted by the gravity of the
larger protoplanets and made them larger until they became the
planets as we know it.
Meteorites -
Visitors from Outer Space
• Meteorites are believed to be pieces
of material that originated in the
formation of the Solar System about
4.6 billion years ago
Stones - composed of iron and magnesium
silicates, about 93% of all meteorites
Irons - composed of iron and nickel alloys
Stony-Irons - nearly equal amounts of iron and
nickel and silicate minerals
