Steady State versus Big Bang

With Hermann Bondi and Thomas Gold, Hoyle proposed an expanding but eternally similar universe in which matter is continuously created. The theory made cosmology testable by contrasting its predictions with an evolving universe.

Radio-source surveys and the cosmic microwave background favored Big Bang cosmology, and steady state lost its standing as the main alternative. Its failure remains scientifically instructive because observation, not reputation, decided between models.