Astronomy questions from kids, Part 5 (last one!)

My friend Tina is a teacher in Austin. She asked her sixth grade students to send me questions they had about astronomy, and I answer them on camera. There were so many I had to split this into *5* parts!

This is the part. I really only answer one question: What is the Big Bang theory, and do I think it's real? But I also take a moment to talk about science, and why it's so cool.

Category:

Education

Tags:

• phil plait
• bad astronomy
• astronomy
• science
• students
• big bang
• space

[blues260]

i wish i had a teacher like him in school :) when you listen to him you really can hear his love for astronomy and science.

and he is right about everything he said. sice i explored space with my telescope when i was a kid.. well.. i became kind of addicted to it :) and i still am.

our universe is just fantastic and beautiful far beyond imagination :)

[JessicaTG2008]

Excellant series Phil!! Very informative... and not just for kids! LOL I am a backyard astronomer who's 4?..3?.. Well, I have been out of school a while and I learned alot too.

Thanx and keep up the good work!!

[aliciaten]

as a question of science not of christianity even though i am a christian how did this happen if there was no time or space there was no way for this to happen and what if you went outside space where it is still expanding?

[hznfrst]

@99thmonkee How about you read a book about it, monkee man?

[hznfrst]

Great stuff! I have a bachelor's degree in astronomy and got sidetracked into computers, but still follow it because I got hooked at a young age and am constantly amazed at the progress being made all the time. That, physics and cosmology are where it's at!

[osity]

I'm a grown adult and i found your video to be very inspiring! :)

[charronfamilyconnect]

Hey Phil, I heard from Nassim Haramein that we are spiralling along in a path towards the sun or following the sun through space and time, and that we are not actually returning to the same orbital path like on a record player. Is this true??

[Ruudsosalsa]

But if the earth is 6013 (today!) years old, how can this be true? :P

[neestle]

@billythewill67 If a theory is an accurate model that describes something true and universal about how things work, then it won't be disproven. It may be supplanted by one of more detail or descriptive power.

We should also keep in mind that a theory is useful only so far as it works. There is no "gravitational force" a la Newton, it's an inherent property of bent space, not a force like magnetism. It's just a useful shorthand for something real.

[billythewill67]

@neestle: Hey there! I was just wondering: if a theory is a model of "reality", then how can it be disproven if it is, in fact, actual reality? I'm sorry that I can't find a better way to present my question.

I hope you can find time to answer me. Thanks a lot in advance.