2 THERE WAS ANOTHER UNIVERSE BEFORE OURS

1 Big Bang and expansion

In the cyclic model, a universe may have a true origin as normal and go through an inflation and expansion phase.

2 Everything now stalls

In a cyclic universe the cosmos may expand to a point and then stall. This may happen from the gravitational effect of the matter within it.

3 Universe in reverse

Gravity takes over and the universe now contracts, with galaxies moving towards one another instead of further away.

4 Big Bounce and the next phase

Inevitably, the universe can only contract so far. A ‘Big Bounce’ initiates the next expansion phase. The process continues, with each phase getting larger and slower.