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Dr. Dimitri Klebe received his Bachelor’s degree in Physics from the University of California, Berkeley and his Ph.D. in Astrophysics from the University of Minnesota. He works as the “Space Science Content Specialist” at Denver Museum of Nature and Science and maintains an active research career developing an infrared and visible imaging instrument used for meteorological research in support of climate change research and observatory operations. He has been a principle player in developing many of the hands-on interactives within the Space Odyssey exhibit at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science. |
According to the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, “Space is big. Really big. You just won't believe how vastly, hugely, mind-bogglingly big it is.” To be more precise, the universe is around 93 billion light years across and growing every second. And it all started with the big bang…which was neither big, nor was there a bang. It has been suggested that a more appropriate name would be “The Everywhere Stretch”. But why? What happened? And how can we wrap our minds around such a bizarre event that produced something so massive, old, and which is still expanding at an accelerating rate! Big Bang cosmology is often presented as a theory that cannot truly be understood by the layperson. The truth of the matter is that what we actually know about our expanding universe is very comprehensible. By using a few simple props I hope to instill a solid understanding of what our universe is all about. And just for fun, I will also touch on the more mind-bending aspects of the Big Bang.
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