Uploaded May 2024 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago

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The big bang is the model that describes the birth and evolution of the universe. But where did the term come from? What does it actually mean?

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Nick Lucid - Host, Writer, Editor, Animator
Em Lucid - Producer
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VIDEO ANNOTATIONS/CARDS

Element Origins:
youtu.be/lInXZ6I3u_I

Cosmic Distance Ladder:
youtu.be/zrpdwJNNskk
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Asylum Orderlies:
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SOURCES

Sean Carroll GR Stuff:
preposterousuniverse.com/grnotes
arxiv.org/abs/gr-qc/9712019v1

Fred Hoyle Story:
nature.com/articles/d41586-024-00894-z
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AFFILIATE LINKS TO BOOK SOURCES

"Spacetime and Geometry"
by Sean Carroll
amzn.to/3bLFLFm

"General Relativity"
by Robert Wald
amzn.to/3vREnrs

"Gravitation"
by Misner, Thorne, and Wheeler
amzn.to/3vSvQEz

FTC Disclosure: These are affiliate links, which means I may receive a commission for purchases made through my links.
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LINKS TO COMMENTS

youtube.com/watch?v=lInXZ6I3u_I&lc=UgwJDyWhDfYCqufgwIp4AaABAg
youtube.com/watch?v=lInXZ6I3u_I&lc=UgxnfyJ5WwCJgLCQgaF4AaABAg
youtube.com/watch?v=lInXZ6I3u_I&lc=UgxomraWefYp8zxc94h4AaABAg
youtube.com/watch?v=lInXZ6I3u_I&lc=Ugy80y1h-IVthGiIxeR4AaABAg
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IMAGE/VIDEO CREDITS

Select imagery/video supplied by Getty Images

NASA Big Bang:
svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/12656

Microwave Background Map:
http://www.esa.int/spaceinimages/Images/2013/03/Planck_CMB

Milky Way:
images.nasa.gov/details/PIA10748

Older Fred Hoyle:
repository.aip.org/islandora/object/nbla%3A297805
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TIME CODES

00:00 Intro
00:20 Getting a Baseline
00:50 "Big Bang" Coined
02:02 Big Bang was NOT an Explosion
03:29 Expansion Analogies
04:18 The Primeval Atom
05:12 Where did the Big Bang happen?
06:00 Where is the center of the Universe?
06:35 The Many Edges of the Universe
08:46 Observable vs Entire Universe
11:07 Trouble with Edges
12:02 What does "Big Bang" mean?
13:14 Closing Thoughts
13:37 Featured Comment