<p>We don't have theories that can describe the big bang (or whatever happened) properly so we can't say anything definite about the big bang itself, let alone if/what was before it.  We would need (at a minimum) something like a quantum field theory for gravity and we don't have one yet.  We've no reason to think that's all we'd need.</p>

<p>It's not even possible (as I understand it) to define "before" the big bang.  Time, in essence, started at the big bang.  It has no common sense meaning beyond that.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-01-23T13:12:00.340Z
Additionally, we can't see further back than the [CMB](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cosmic_microwave_background) and this is already ~ 380.000 years after what we assume as the big bang so everything earlier than that point currently cannot be verified.
Adwaenyth
CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-07-10T03:51:30.873Z
I personally have a hard time comprehending the "start" of something continuos as time. Is there any analogy apart from the North-South pole of the Earth to explain intuitively how something like "time" could have started? Maybe is it related to the idea of a block universe where time as a flowing "thing" doesnt exist, but it exists as a static thing, already defined for every point in spacetime?
Aveer
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-01-23T13:00:34.130Z
2017-01-24T23:03:30.970Z
2017-01-24T23:03:30.970Z
StephenG - Help Ukraine
<p><strong>What existed before the big bang?</strong></p>

<p>What all thing are there inside big bang object ?.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-01-23T11:54:53.297Z
Welcome to Astronomy Stack Exchange, please check the http://astronomy.stackexchange.com/help/how-to-ask page before asking a question to make sure your question doesn't get closed down. May I suggest searching this site for similar questions before asking your own?
Dean
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-01-24T17:22:12.727Z
Coordinate systems designated by letters other than 't'. 'j' may have fulfilled the function of our current 't', or not. No one knows.
Wayfaring Stranger
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-01-24T19:16:24.840Z
**Before** existed before the Big Bang?
jean
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-01-24T21:01:31.790Z
This question is not opinion based. There is a serious scientific answer stating that science doesn't know and that the question barely makes sense. Some scientific sources have dealt with that question. For example, Hawking discussed it in "A brief history of time".
Pere
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-01-25T01:57:49.403Z
Who are the 4 people who voted this up?    Any answers based in science would be highly mathematical and technical and not very interesting to a layman and all answers remain untestable.   It's a mathematical exercise into the world of maybe (like string theory).  It's perhaps a fun conversation to have when scientists are drinking beers on a Sunday afternoon, but it's not stack exchange astronomy.with a distinct answer.     When the model takes you Into the singularity, there are no answers, so before the singularity there are also no answers.
userLTK
<universe><big-bang-theory><early-universe>
What existed before the big bang
Sreepathy Sp
# What existed before the big bang

(Asked by: username_0 on 2017-01-23)

**What existed before the big bang?**

What all thing are there inside big bang object ?.

**Tags:** universe, big-bang-theory, early-universe
> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: Welcome to Astronomy Stack Exchange, please check the http://astronomy.stackexchange.com/help/how-to-ask page before asking a question to make sure your question doesn't get closed down. May I suggest searching this site for similar questions before asking your own?  
> **username_2**: Coordinate systems designated by letters other than 't'. 'j' may have fulfilled the function of our current 't', or not. No one knows.  
> **username_3**: **Before** existed before the Big Bang?  
> **username_4**: This question is not opinion based. There is a serious scientific answer stating that science doesn't know and that the question barely makes sense. Some scientific sources have dealt with that question. For example, Hawking discussed it in "A brief history of time".  
> **username_5**: Who are the 4 people who voted this up?    Any answers based in science would be highly mathematical and technical and not very interesting to a layman and all answers remain untestable.   It's a mathematical exercise into the world of maybe (like string theory).  It's perhaps a fun conversation to have when scientists are drinking beers on a Sunday afternoon, but it's not stack exchange astronomy.with a distinct answer.     When the model takes you Into the singularity, there are no answers, so before the singularity there are also no answers.  

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## 1 answers

### Answer by username_6 on 2017-01-23. Score: 6

We don't have theories that can describe the big bang (or whatever happened) properly so we can't say anything definite about the big bang itself, let alone if/what was before it. We would need (at a minimum) something like a quantum field theory for gravity and we don't have one yet. We've no reason to think that's all we'd need.

It's not even possible (as I understand it) to define "before" the big bang. Time, in essence, started at the big bang. It has no common sense meaning beyond that.

> **Comments:**
> **username_7**: Additionally, we can't see further back than the [CMB](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cosmic_microwave_background) and this is already ~ 380.000 years after what we assume as the big bang so everything earlier than that point currently cannot be verified.  
> **username_8**: I personally have a hard time comprehending the "start" of something continuos as time. Is there any analogy apart from the North-South pole of the Earth to explain intuitively how something like "time" could have started? Maybe is it related to the idea of a block universe where time as a flowing "thing" doesnt exist, but it exists as a static thing, already defined for every point in spacetime?  

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