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Is the Big Bang a Beginning — Or a Transition? - Leejohnston - 01-08-2026 Is the Big Bang a Beginning — Or a Transition? The Big Bang is often described as the beginning of the universe. But in modern cosmology, that statement is more subtle than it sounds. The real question is: Did the universe truly begin at the Big Bang — or did it transition from an earlier state? ⸻ What the Big Bang actually describes The Big Bang theory does not describe an explosion in space. It describes: • the expansion of space itself • the universe becoming hotter and denser as we go back in time • a point where known physics breaks down The equations work extremely well — up to a limit. ⸻ The singularity problem When we run Einstein’s equations backward, they predict: • infinite density • infinite temperature • infinite curvature This point is called a singularity. But infinities in physics usually signal: • incomplete theories • missing physics • breakdowns of applicability They are not generally taken as literal descriptions. ⸻ Why the beginning is uncertain General relativity does not include quantum effects. At very early times: • quantum gravity should dominate • spacetime itself may behave differently • the concept of “before” may lose meaning Without a theory of quantum gravity, the earliest moments remain unknown. ⸻ Alternative possibilities Several speculative ideas exist: • A bounce The universe may have contracted before expanding again. • A cyclic universe Expansion and contraction may repeat over vast timescales. • Eternal inflation Our observable universe may be one region of a larger process. • A quantum origin The universe may emerge from a quantum state without classical time. None of these ideas are confirmed. ⸻ What observations can and cannot tell us We can observe: • cosmic microwave background radiation • early structure formation • expansion history But we cannot directly observe: • the Planck era • conditions before known physics applies This creates a hard observational boundary. ⸻ Why this matters Whether the Big Bang was a beginning or a transition affects: • the nature of time • whether the universe has an origin • whether cosmology can ever be complete ⸻ What this does NOT imply Questioning the beginning does not deny: • cosmic expansion • early hot dense conditions • the success of Big Bang cosmology It questions what lies beyond its domain. ⸻ Open question Was the Big Bang the birth of everything — or simply the earliest chapter we can currently read? The answer may depend on physics we do not yet have.