BBN

Science & Engineering abbreviation · Astronomy & Space

BBN
Stands forBig Bang nucleosynthesis
CategoriesScience & Engineering

BBN stands for Big Bang nucleosynthesis, an astronomy & Space abbreviation.

Formation of the lightest atomic nuclei, deuterium, helium-3, helium-4 and a little lithium-7, during the first few minutes after the Big Bang. BBN predicts that about a quarter of normal matter by mass should be helium, matching observations of ancient gas.

Example: BBN predictions for deuterium agree closely with values inferred from the cosmic microwave background.

Usage notes

Ralph Alpher, Hans Bethe and George Gamow published early calculations in 1948 in the "alpha-beta-gamma" paper, whose authorship was arranged as a pun. Heavier elements were forged later in stars and stellar explosions. Observed lithium falls short of the prediction, the unsolved "lithium problem."

More astronomy & Space abbreviations

  • AGN – Active galactic nucleus
  • ALMA – Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array
  • AU – Astronomical unit
  • BH – Black hole
  • CMB – Cosmic microwave background
  • CME – Coronal mass ejection
  • CNSA – China National Space Administration
  • COBE – Cosmic Background Explorer
  • CSM – Command and Service Module
  • DART – Double Asteroid Redirection Test
  • DE – Dark energy
  • Dec – Declination

See all 83 astronomy & Space abbreviations →

Edited by the AbbreviationList.com team. Spotted an error or a missing meaning? Contact us.