Was there a moment of creation for the universe, or has the universe always existed? The steady-state theory is a cosmological theory for the origin of the universe that suggests the universe has always existed and did not have a moment of creation. This theory was popular during the 1950s and 1960s, but because of observations made during the 1960s, few, if any, astronomers now think that the steady-state theory is correct. The basic tenet of the steady-state theory is that the universe on a large scale does not change with time (evolve). It has always existed and will always continue to exist looking much as it does now. The universe is, however, known to be expanding. To allow for this expansion in an unchanging universe, the authors of the steady-state theory postulated that hydrogen atoms appeared out of empty space. These newly created hydrogen atoms were just enough to fill in the gaps caused by the expansion. Because hydrogen is continuously being created, the steady-state theory is sometimes called the continuous creation theory. This theory achieved great popularity for a couple of decades, but mounting observational evidence caused its demise in the late 1960s. The discovery in 1965 of the cosmic background radiation provided one of the most serious blows to the steady-state theory.
There are a number of observations that astronomers have made to test cosmological theories, including both the steady-state and the big bang theory. Some of these cosmological observations are described below.
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8 months ago
Hmmmm, Where has it been decided that "The universe is, however, known to be expanding." We see an expansion of something, who says it is the whole universe expanding and not just some other common event that occures in the natural universe.
about 1 year ago
You idea that we accept the "Big Bang" theory due to men being obsessed with explosions is flawed. Hoyle (of the Steady State theory) actually came up with the term to ridicule the rapid expansion theory thatg we now still call the Big Bang. The Big Bang has nothing to do with explosions and everything to do with rapid expansion. The proof of this was found in the cosmic background radiation.
about 1 year ago
The "big bang" concept is totally devoid of any commonsense. The male of the species has always, and still are, obsessed with explosions.So it comes as no surprise to find how popular this concept has become. It would be useful to ask only women what they thought is most plausible of the theories. The only astronomical theory conceived on this Earth,that is absolutely beyond question, is the notion that the Universe is teeming with civilizations. Remarkably, the academic scholars have been the last people to have reached this obvious conclusion. To speed up the process of learning, the non-academic community should be asking each other questions about the science of the Universe, and give these scholars a chance to catch up with the rest of us.