Cosmology

Whilst astronomy is concerned with concrete objects in space, such as stars or comets, cosmology investigates the structure of the universe. It looks for explanations as to how our universe came into being, how it developed and which fundamental physical forces and laws apply. Today, most cosmologists accept the Big Bang theory, this being the so-called standard model of cosmology. After the Big Bang around 13.8 billion years ago, our universe expanded from an extremely dense state with high temperatures, creating space, time and matter. It has developed into its current form through a variety of phases.

Cosmology investigates the most extreme range of orders of magnitude, ranging from forces that act between elementary particles, such as electrons, to forces acting between galaxies. Researchers draw on quantum physics for assistance when it comes to small scales. For large scales, the general theory of relativity explains the interaction of objects in space and time. Black holes, for example, are important if we are to understand the structure of our universe.