EARTH AND LIFE SCIENCE
Prepared by: Christian D. Catacutan, LPT.
LESSON 1.1
THE ORIGIN AND STRUCTURE
OF THE UNIVERSE AND THE
SOLAR SYSTEM
INTRODUCTION
Humans have always searched
for answers about the mysteries
of Earth and the things that lie
about it.
INTRODUCTION
They seek to understand the
processes that made Earth
unique from the other planets of
the Solar System.
INTRODUCTION
In this unit, you will go through a
journey that will help you
understand Earth better and the
processes that continuously
happen in our planet.
Scientists believe that
approximately 14 billion years
ago, the universe started to
expand.
This expansion eventually led to
the formation of all matter,
energy, space, and time in the
universe. However, many things
are still a mystery to humans.
1. How did the formation of the
universe start?
2. What is the future of the
universe and how will it affect
human life?
3. What makes the Earth
unique?
Learning Objectives
State the different hypotheses
explaining the origin of the universe
Describe the different hypotheses
explaining the Solar System
Recognize the uniqueness of Earth
as being the only planet in the Solar
System with properties necessary to
support life
Ancient Times…
• Have you ever wondered where the
sun is originated?
• Have you noticed the shining objects
in the sky at night?
• Have you asked what it feels like when
you reach outer space?
Universe
• It is the space and time that
contains all the matter and energy
that ever existed.
• It is composed of Bayronic matter,
dark matter, and dark energy.
Baryonic Matter
• Is known as Ordinary Matter
• It is composed of baryons (protons
and neutrons)
• It includes the planets, stars, and other
celestial bodies such as comets,
meteors, and asteroids.
Dark Matter
• It is composed of particles that do
not absorb, reflect, or emit light.
• A common example of dark matter
is “Black Hole”
Dark Energy
• It is a mysterious force that is
responsible for the expansion
of the universe.
Take Note:
• With regards to the nature and
composition of dark matter and dark
energy, and scientists only know
they exist because of how baryonic
matter behaves and how the
universe’s expansion accelerates.
Composition of the Universe
5%
24% Baryonic Matter
Dark Matter
Dark Energy
71%
• Hydrogen and Helium are most abundant
elements in the universe.
It make up 99% of its chemical composition
• Most stars are made up of Hydrogen. As
nuclear fusion happens, Hydrogen atoms fuse
together to form Helium.
• Therefore, these elements are the lightest
elements, and theorists suggest that their
reaction and fusion with other elements led to
the formation of all the elements that humans
know today.
Universe
• It contains different astronomical bodies
and expanding.
• A star is an astronomical body made up
of plasma that can produce heat and
light.
• A group of star is called galaxy.
• There are about 100 billion stars in a
single galaxy estimated 2 trillion galaxies
in the universe.
Mind You….
• Although the number of galaxies in the
universe is huge, this number will still not
be enough to fill up all the space in the
universe. The universe is so big that
each galaxy is almost 10 million light
years away from each other.
• The distance from the galaxy that the solar
system is in equivalent to the length of 10
million solar systems.
That means you will have to travel the entire
length of the solar system 10 million times
before you can even reach next closest galaxy.
• The size of the universe that humans can
observe is 93 billion light years in diameter.
• This vast space is present because the
universe is constantly expanding, which is
caused by Dark Energy.
THEORIES ABOUT THE
ORIGIN OF THE UNIVERSE
Big Bang Theory
• It was proposed by Georges Lemaitre in
1927.
• He stated that the universe started as “a
singularity that contained all the energy,
space, and time”.
• For some reason, around 14 billion years
ago, this singularity started to expand and
the energy contained in it was released.
This led to the formation of Matter.
It is said….
• It started in a hot, dense state, where matter and
energy closely interacted with each other.
As the universe expanded, forces such as gravity,
electromagnetic force, and strong and weak nuclear
forces appeared.
• These forces existed in the early times of the
universe and still exist today.
• They fueled the formation of atoms, the first
component needed for the formation of matter.
• As more atoms form, they combine with one another
through a process called “nucleosynthesis”
• Nucleosynthesis led to the formation
of the first elements in the universe:
Hydrogen and Helium
• It is the most accepted theory about the origin
of the universe because it supported by
evidence and coincides with observations
about the nature of the universe.
• Big Bang Theory successfully explains why
and how the universe is expanding, which is
supported by the observation of the redshift.
• The redshift is the increase in the wavelength
of light caused by distant galaxies.
• In 1929, Edwin Hubble explained that the
increasing wavelength happens because
galaxies tend to move away.
• Another piece of evidence that
supports the Big Bang Theory is the
discovery of the cosmic microwave
background (CMB) radiation.
In 1965, Robert Wilson and Arno
Penzias- Radio Receiver
Steady State Theory
• It was proposed by Hermann Bondi,
Thomas Gold, and Fred Hoyle.
• It states that the universe has no
beginning and no end.
• It claims that as the universe expands,
new matter is created in the form of
galaxies and star.
• Also, this has always been an
alternative to the big bang theory.
• However, the discovery of the CMB
prompted more scientists to claim the
big bang theory as a better theory to
explain the origin of the universe.
END
Quiz no. 1
1-3- TRUE OR FALSE
1. Most stars are made up of Helium.
2. Hydrogen and Helium are considered as the
heaviest elements.
3. As Nuclear Fission happens, hydrogen atoms
fuse together to form helium.
Quiz no. 1
4-7- Identification
4. It is an astronomical body made up of plasma
5. It is responsible for the expansion of universe
6. CMB means
7. It contains all the matter and energy that is
existed.
Quiz no. 1
8-10- Identification
8. Combining with one another to form more
atoms through a process of __________.
9. It contained the energy , space, and time.
10. A matter that composed of proton and
neutron.
11-15- Enumeration
11-13. Who proposed the Theory of Steady
State
14-15. Who developed the Radio Receiver
Answers
• 1. False
• 2. False
• 3. False
• 4. Star
• 5. Dark Energy
• 6. Cosmic Microwave Background radiation
• 7. Universe
• 8. Nucleosynthesis
• 9. Big Bang Theory
• 10. Baryonic Matter/ Ordinary Matter
11-13. Hermann Bondi, Thomas Gold, and Fred
Hoyle.
14-15. Robert Wilson and Arno Penzias
