of chemical elements ¿ t this prediction very well. Hydrogen accounts for
about three-quarters of all matter, and helium for almost all the rest.
Despite its bizarre conclusions, big bang cosmology offers a scienti¿ c, well-
tested explanation of how the Universe was created. But the early Universe
didn’t yet contain anything of much interest. In the next lecture we ask: How
were the ¿ rst stars and galaxies created? Ŷ
Brown, Big History, chap. 1.
Chaisson, Epic of Evolution, Prologue, chap. 1.
Christian, Maps of Time, chap. 1.
Bryson, A Short History of Nearly Everything, chap. 1.
Coles, Cosmology, chap. 5.
Delsemme, Our Cosmic Origins, chap. 2.
- How persuasive is the evidence for big bang cosmology?
- Why did it take astronomers so long to accept the implications of
Hubble’s evidence that the Universe was expanding?
Essential Reading
Supplementary Reading
Questions to Consider