1965 Cosmic Times
This poster is the fourth edition of Cosmic Times, with the
publication date chosen to coincide with the discovery of the cosmic
microwave background (CMB) the remnant radiation from very early
in the Universe. This new discovery clearly makes the Big Bang the lead
theory on the origin of the Universe. The realm of astronomy has grown,
with the addition of observations of X-rays from outside the Solar
System, and, indeed, outside of the Galaxy. Astronomers are also in
active pursuit of invisible dark matter that must be present to hold
galaxies together.
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1965 Article Overview
Age of Universe: 10-25 Billion Years
Size of Universe: 25 Billion Light Years
| Article |
Thread |
Summary |
| Murmer of a Bang |
Expanding Universe |
Two astronomers discover the remnant radiation from the Big Bang
while trying to characterize the sources of noise in a radio antenna
they wished to use for astronomical observations. |
| Big Hiss Missed by Others |
-- |
The signature of the remnant radiation from the Big Bang could
have been found by others, if they had known where to look, but
Penzias and Wilson had just the right set of circumstances to make
the discovery. |
| Cosmic X-ray sources Found Outside the Galaxy |
-- |
Astronomers continue to look at the Universe in a different
light, this time in the X-ray. This article discusses the discovery
of two sources that shine in X-ray, both thought to lie beyond our
Galaxy. |
| Quasars: Express Trains to the Netherworld |
Size of the Universe |
At the edge of the Universe, astronomers are finding objects
called quasars, originally for the term quasi-stellar objects. The
nature of quasars is unknown in 1965, but it is clear that they lie
at large distances, and so must be very old. |
| Galaxies Still Misbehaving |
-- |
Recent observations have made it clear that there is more matter
contained in galaxies than astronomers can easily account for. This
leads to the idea of dark matter. |
1965 Lesson Overview
| Activity |
Summary |
Grade |
Discipline |
| |
|
MS |
HS |
|
| 1. Reading Strategies |
Students learn several reading strategies that can be used
to understand the Cosmic Times materials, and other readings
that may be challenging to them. |
x |
x |
Multi-disciplinary |
| 2. Cosmic Microwave Background |
Students explore the cosmic microwave background to
understand why it permeates the Universe and why it peaks as
microwave radiation. |
|
x |
Physics, Astronomy |
| 3. Tornadoes and Galaxies |
Students study how the Doppler effect helps scientists study
both tornadoes and galaxies. |
x |
x |
Physics, Astronomy |
| 4. What's the Matter? |
Students explore the density of substances as a model for understanding
how astronomers have come to find the existence of dark matter. |
x |
x |
Physics, Astronomy |
|
