Space Physics 6.2.

3, pg 290-292

The Universe
Presentation by Antt Min Khant

FOCUS POINTS
● Know that the Universe is made up of
billions of galaxies, the Milky Way being just
one.
● Describe redshift and know that light emitted ● The Universe
from stars in distant galaxies appears
redshifted, which is evidence the Universe is ● The expanding Universe
expanding and supports the Big Bang
Theory. ● The Big Bang Theory
 The Universe

● The Milky Way is one of the

millions of galaxies that make up
the Universe.
● The diameter of the Milky Way
galaxy is around 100000 light-
years and it contains 800 billion or
more stars.

The Milky Way Galaxy

The expanding Universe
● In developing a theory about the origin of the Universe, two discoveries about galaxies
have to be taken into account.
● The first is that light emitted from glowing hydrogen in stars in distant galaxies is ‘shifted’ to
the red end of the spectrum (longer wavelength) in comparison with the value on Earth.
● The second is that the further away a galaxy is from us, the greater is this redshift.
● These observations can be explained if other galaxies are moving away from us very
rapidly, and the further away they are, the faster is their speed of recession.
● Evidently the Universe is expanding.
 The expanding Universe (CONTINUED)

● This interpretation is based on the Doppler

effect, which occurs when a source of
waves is moving.
● If the source approaches us, waves are
crowded into a smaller space and their
wavelength seems smaller and their
frequency greater.
● If the source moves away, the wavelength
seems larger (Figure 6.2.5).
● Receding stars and galaxies are therefore
shifted to the red end of the spectrum.
The expanding Universe (CONTINUED)

● The Doppler effect occurs with sound waves and explains the rise and fall of
pitch of a siren as the vehicle approaches and passes us.
● The same effect is shown by light.
● When the light source is receding, the wavelength seems longer, that is the
light is redder.
● From the size of the redshift of starlight, the speed of recession of the galaxy
can be calculated; the most distant ones visible are receding with speeds up
to one-third of the speed of light.
● The redshift in the light from distant galaxies provides evidence that the
Universe is expanding and gives support to the Big Bang theory of the
formation of the Universe.
 The Big Bang theory

● If the galaxies are receding from each other, it

follows that in the past they must have been closer
together.
● It is therefore possible that initially all the matter in
the Universe was packed together in an extremely
dense state.
● The Big Bang theory proposes that this was the
case, and that the Universe started about 14
billion years ago from one place with a huge
explosion - the Big Bang.
 The Big Bang theory (Continued)

● The resulting expansion of the Universe continues today, but predictions vary about what
will happen in the future.
● The critical factor appears to be the density of matter in the Universe.
The Big Bang theory (Continued)

● This is difficult to calculate because scientists

currently believe that as much as 80% of the
material in the Universe is invisible, since it
does not emit radiation.
● It may be that this hidden mass exerts
sufficient gravitational force to lead the
Universe to collapse.
● The gravitational force between masses not
only determines the motion and evolution of
planets, stars and galaxies, but will also
control the ultimate fate of the Universe.
1 a. Light emitted from glowing hydrogen of stars in distant galaxies are shifted to
red end of spectrum with longer wavelength. It is known as redshift.

1 b. The redshift of starlight tells us that the star is receding away from us at rapid
speed.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION!