Ep 1. The Beginning

The Beginning and End of the Universe is an astrophysics documentary series that examines the history of the universe, from the Big Bang to the ultimate fate of the cosmos. Season 1 episode 1, titled "The Beginning," explores the origins of the universe and what we know about the earliest moments of its existence.

The episode begins with an overview of current scientific understanding about the universe, including the big questions that astrophysicists are attempting to answer. Viewers learn about the concept of cosmic inflation, which suggests that the universe expanded rapidly in the moments after the Big Bang, and about the cosmic microwave background radiation, which provides evidence for this early inflation.

Next, the episode delves into the earliest moments of the universe's history, starting with the first second after the Big Bang. It explores the concept of "quarks and gluons," the basic building blocks of matter, and how they combined to form protons and neutrons in the very early universe. The narrator explains how the laws of physics changed during this early period, such that the forces of nature were unified into a single force. This allowed for the creation of heavy particles like protons and neutrons, which would eventually come together to form atoms.

The importance of cosmic background radiation is explained, revealing how we have been able to determine the age of the universe and its rate of expansion. In the middle of the episode, we get a little bit of a history lesson, recounting the work of two of the most brilliant scientists of the last century, George Gamow and Edwin Hubble. Then the episode goes on to explain how the first galaxies were formed during the so-called "dark ages" of the universe, which lasted for several hundred million years after the Big Bang. By studying the cosmic microwave background radiation, researchers have been able to learn how matter was distributed in the early universe, allowing them to create simulations of the formation of the first galaxies.

The episode concludes with a look at what we still don't know about the early universe. It briefly explores the notion of dark matter and discusses the problems that arise when attempting to unify the four fundamental forces of nature: gravity, electromagnetism, and the strong and weak nuclear forces.

In general, "The Beginning" provides a detailed and engaging overview of the earliest moments of the universe's existence. The narration is clear and informative, and the visuals are stunning. The episode strikes a balance between scientific accuracy and accessibility, making it a great introduction to the series for anyone interested in astrophysics and cosmology.