ScienceQuest
Sir Fred Hoyle

For many years, astronomers have used the term "big bang" to describe one theory of how the universe began. The term "big bang" was first used by the famous british astronomer Sir Fred Hoyle. This well-known astronomer recently died at the age of 86. He became famous when he presented a series of lectures on the BBC.

The "big bang" theory states that the universe began in one split second, and that before that moment, nothing existed except for empty space! Numerous studies have substantiated this theory, pointing to an explosion of incredibly dense matter at the beginning of creation. The irony is that Sir Fred Hoyle did not believe this was correct, and he used the term "big bang" to make light of the theory. But the name stuck, and The 'big bang" is now the most accepted theory of cosmology.

In the year 2000, Sir Fred Hoyle and some of his colleagues published a book which supports the theory he first proposed in the 1940's; that the universe has an infinite age, and an infinite extent in space. This is known as the steady state theory. One of the strongest discoveries in support of the big bang theory is the discovery that there is background radiation present throughout the universe. Hoyle recognized this fact, but said that this radiation is caused by the constant burning of hydrogen in billions of stars.

Whichever theory is correct, we must acknowledge the contributions of this great man. By broadcasting a program on astronomy to the general public so many years ago, Sir Fred Hoyle increased awareness and interest in the sciences, just as we are doing now with Science Quest.

Written by Brent Bennett
ScienceQuest and Script (c) 2001 SouthWest Science Foundation