The prevailing scientific theory describing the origin and early evolution of the universe from an extremely hot, dense initial state approximately 13.8 billion years ago. It explains the observed expansion of space, the cosmic microwave background, and the abundance of light elements.
The term was coined somewhat mockingly by astronomer Fred Hoyle in 1949 during a BBC radio broadcast to contrast with his preferred 'steady state' theory. Despite its informal origin, the name stuck and became the standard term for this cosmological model.
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