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Do you understand enough about the Big Bang theory to challenge it? GETTY

Jamie Carter,  May 14, 2020

In cosmology, the Big Bang theory is king. It wasn’t always that way, but over the years the evidence has mounted and, for the most part, astronomers are convinced it’s the best we have.

So why do many people hate it? Black holes, invisible dark matter and the idea of the cosmos being born in a millisecond defy plain common sense.

Frustrated by people telling them how to do their job, two astronomers set-out to answer the questions and criticism they are so frequently sent. The result is The Cosmic Revolutionary’s Handbook (Or: How to Beat the Big Bang), which sets out exactly what any Big Bang theory-hater needs to explain before a new theory can even begin to take hold.

“As cosmologists, our job is to explain the Universe as a whole—it’s structure, constituents and evolution,” said Dr Luke A. Barnes is a postdoctoral researcher at Western Sydney University. “People email us with their ideas about how the Universe works, and while we love their enthusiasm, we found ourselves sending the same kind of reply over and over again.”

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