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The Big Bang is the central concept in cosmology — the study of the whole universe — but it can be confusing to a lot of people. In fact, it’s a little unfair: some of the confusion comes from us cosmologists. In my latest for Symmetry, I try to sift out some of the important concepts and hopefully clear up some of the confusion.

Five facts about the Big Bang

It’s the cornerstone of cosmology, but what is it all about?

For Symmetry Magazine:

Astronomers Edwin Hubble and Milton Humason in the early 20th century discovered that galaxies are moving away from the Milky Way. More to the point: Every galaxy is moving away from every other galaxy on average, which means the whole universe is expanding. In the past, then, the whole cosmos must have been much smaller, hotter and denser.

That description, known as the Big Bang model, has stood up against new discoveries and competing theories for the better part of a century. So what is this “Big Bang” thing all about? [Read the rest at Symmetry Magazine…]