"Astronomers have pushed NASA's Hubble Space Telescope to its limits by finding what is likely to be the most distant object ever seen in the universe. The object's light traveled 13.2 billion years to reach Hubble, roughly 150 million years longer than the previous record holder. The age of the universe is approximately 13.7 billion years."
The next generation of telescopes may be interesting in confirming or refuting Big Bang. There are alternate theories, like the minority who think the universe has simply always existed in various forms but much as it is today.
So if your telescopes get good enough to see further than 14 million light years (more than the supposed age of the universe), you would disprove Big Bang (but not relativity). At the rate of advance in space telescopes, we could do this in a decade or so. After all, Hubble was very limited to begin with.
Falsifiability is an essential element of science. This is likely a way to put Big Bang to the test.
I've recently heard the new theory is that the universe has always existed, is eternal. Its the 'agreed' science of the day, lol.
It is still definitely a minority view among physicists.
However, it is attractive because it doesn't need to explain what happened prior to the supposed Big Bang. Conventional Big Bang theory doesn't have the faintest notion of what happened prior to the Bang which is a notable weakness.
Conventional Big Bang theory doesn't have the faintest notion of what happened prior to the Bang which is a notable weakness.
In our current universe, space and time go hand in hand, so if there was no space, there was no time either. Stephen Hawkings described asking what happened before the big bang is like asking what's north of the north pole. A weird concept to wrap one's head around but... that's the argument, at least.
Meaning the actual creation of the matter, and conditions, to cause Big Bang is an inconvenient truth for him and others.
I think this is disingenuous to scientists. A true scientist actually has a craving for solving the riddles of nature. And while finding explanations and achieving understanding is itself a great reward, it would be disappointing for all mysteries to be solved as there would be no more searching or digging for more answers.
While theologians may be content to accept things on faith, a scientist, by definition, does not have that luxury. Even the bible says, in proverbs, that it is the glory of God to conceal a matter, but the glory of man to seek out a matter. I see no reason to denigrate the honest scientific profession, and while many or even most scientists may well have their own bias that can interfere with their work, that does not mean they are not consciously honest people.
A physical explanation for the Big Bang would doubtless involve alternate universes or dimensions, the discussion of which are very much mainstream in the scientific community. Such alternate universes may well be where spiritual faith and science converge. Time may tell.
#30. To: Pinguinite, GarySpFc, liberator, Vicomte13 (#27)
I think this is disingenuous to scientists. A true scientist actually has a craving for solving the riddles of nature. And while finding explanations and achieving understanding is itself a great reward, it would be disappointing for all mysteries to be solved as there would be no more searching or digging for more answers.
I understand the curiosity as it is human nature. It is just not scientific. They look 'odd' dousing Christians and philosophers with insults when they engage in the same exericise on origins. So when they step into this realm of being they should put on their armor.
that it is the glory of God to conceal a matter, but the glory of man to seek out a matter.
Can't argue with that. Solomon was wise to say so. We were created curious beings. Just as were the earlier Western scientists and philosophers. They all had one thing in common. What we observe is ordered and was created by a personal Creator. Curious they were that thanks to their humility and efforts we have modern science which has derived so many cures for sickness.
Where I take pause in our post-modern world is the arrogance of our scientists today. Most exclude even the very thought of an "unmoved Mover" in the origins of our existence. Akin to the short sighted Middle ages where anything science was considered heretical.
