thumbnail of Teachers' Domain; Earth and Space Science; Evidence for the Big Bang Theory
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Series
Teachers' Domain
Program
Earth and Space Science
Title
Evidence for the Big Bang Theory
Producing Organization
WGBH Educational Foundation
Contributing Organization
WGBH (Boston, Massachusetts)
AAPB ID
cpb-aacip/15-ws8hd7p36d
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Description
Episode Description
This video segment from NOVA tells the story of two scientists who inadvertently discovered microwave radiation that is now believed to be heat left over from the Big Bang.
Description
This video segment adapted from NOVA tells the story of two scientists who inadvertently discovered microwave radiation that is now believed to be heat left over from the Big Bang.
Description
See related asset "ess05_vid_microwave_Backgrounder.xml"
Description
Why didn't Wilson and Penzias expect to find microwaves from space in 1964?For what did Wilson and Penzias win the Nobel Prize?Scientists who predicted that the Big Bang would have left a signature of microwave energy throughout the universe were working on a way to detect this when they heard about Wilson and Penzias's inadvertent discovery. What does this say about science, scientific discovery, and communication?If microwave radiation in the universe were visible, it would be bright and astonishingly uniform. How does this support the Big Bang theory?Do you think microwaves are the only form of radiation left from the Big Bang? Why or why not?
Description
The study of the origin and evolution of the universe has not always been regarded as science. It wasn't until the discovery of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) that the science of cosmology began to be truly recognized. In this video segment adapted from NOVA, learn how two researchers changed the future of cosmology when they stumbled upon radiation believed to be left over from the birth of the universe.
Subjects
energy :: light :: basic properties; research :: astronomy :: history; astronomy :: the universe :: expansion; energy :: electromagnetic waves :: microwave; energy :: electromagnetic waves :: radio; energy :: waves :: doppler effect; earth system :: energy :: transfer :: radiation; astronomy :: the universe :: the big bang
Rights
Rights Note:Streaming only,Rights:,Rights Credit:2006, 2004 WGBH Educational Foundation. All rights reserved. A Thomas Levenson Productions and Unicorn Projects, Inc. production for WGBH/Boston. Stock footage courtesy of BBC. Footage courtesy of Lucent Technologies, Inc., 1979 Lucent Technologies Inc. All rights Reserved.,Rights Type:All,Rights Coverage:06/06/2016,Rights Holder:WGBH Educational Foundation
Media type
Moving Image
Duration
00:03:06
Credits
Producing Organization: WGBH Educational Foundation
Publisher: Teachers' Domain
AAPB Contributor Holdings
WGBH
Identifier: 4837b78b8078cbb567d9b4e2cb321b60721587f2 (ArtesiaDAM UOI_ID)
Format: video/quicktime
Color: Color
Duration: 00:03:06
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Citations
Chicago: “Teachers' Domain; Earth and Space Science; Evidence for the Big Bang Theory,” WGBH, American Archive of Public Broadcasting (GBH and the Library of Congress), Boston, MA and Washington, DC, accessed April 27, 2025, http://americanarchive.org/catalog/cpb-aacip-15-ws8hd7p36d.
MLA: “Teachers' Domain; Earth and Space Science; Evidence for the Big Bang Theory.” WGBH, American Archive of Public Broadcasting (GBH and the Library of Congress), Boston, MA and Washington, DC. Web. April 27, 2025. <http://americanarchive.org/catalog/cpb-aacip-15-ws8hd7p36d>.
APA: Teachers' Domain; Earth and Space Science; Evidence for the Big Bang Theory. Boston, MA: WGBH, American Archive of Public Broadcasting (GBH and the Library of Congress), Boston, MA and Washington, DC. Retrieved from http://americanarchive.org/catalog/cpb-aacip-15-ws8hd7p36d