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Cosmology is the study of the large-scale structure and history of the universe. In particular, it deals with subjects regarding its origin and evolution. It is studied by Astronomy, Philosophy, and Religion. See also cosmogony.Subjects in cosmology include:
1 Physical cosmology
- The Big Bang
- Cosmic Background Radiation
- Galaxy Formation and Evolution
- Large Scale Structure of the Cosmos - few 100 M pc - a few percent of the horizon
- The Friedmann-Lemaître-Robertson-Walker metric
- The dark matter problem
- Dark energy
- Beyond the standard Big Bang modelBeyond the standard Big Bang model there may be a more accurate approximation (or generalization) than that of the standard model. Observational cosmologists consider the standard Big Bang model to be a good approximation to the Universe, in spatial exten
- Quasi steady state theoryFor alternative meanings see steady state (disambiguation). The steady state theory is a model developed in 1949 by Fred Hoyle, Thomas Gold and others as an alternative to the Big Bang theory. Although the model had a large number of supporters among cosm
- Cosmic inflationInflation is the idea—first proposed by Alan Guth (1981)—that the nascent universe passed through a phase of exponential expansion (the inflationary epoch) that was driven by a negative vacuum energy density (positive vacuum pressure). This expansion can
- Topological defectIn cosmology, a topological defect is a (often) stable configuration of matter predicted by some theories to form at phase transitions in the very early universe. As the universe expanded and cooled, symmetries in the laws of physics began breaking down is
- Cosmic varianceCosmic variance is a notion related to the fact that we only observe one copy of the Universe. The more popular extensions of the Big Bang model are the inflationary scenarios. In models such as these, the comoving spatial part of the Universe which we se
- The Ultimate fate of the UniverseMany religions have postulated an end to the Universe. According to some, the end of the world will cause the end of the Universe. See the article on eschatology for discussion of these issues. This article is about scientific theories of the end of the U
Due to the extreme conditions believed to be present during the first minutes of the universe's history, Big Bang cosmologists often co-operate with scientists from areas such as Particle physicsParticle physics is a branch of physics that studies the elementary constituents of matter and radiation, and the interactions between them. It is also called high energy physics because many elementary particles do not occur under normal circumstances in.
2 Alternative cosmology
Main article: Non-standard cosmologyA non-standard cosmology is a cosmological theory that contradicts the standard model of cosmology. The term has been used since the late 1960s after the discovery of the cosmic microwave background radiation (CMB) in 1965 by Penzias and Wilson. These obs
2.1 Non-standard physical cosmologies
2.2 Philosophical cosmology
