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 theology. See also cosmogony.

Subjects in cosmology include:

Physical cosmology

• The Big Bang
  • The Friedmann-Lemaître-Robertson-Walker metric
  • The shape of the universe in big bang theory
• Cosmological principle
• Hubble's law
  • Comoving distance
• Cosmic microwave background (CMB)
  • Cosmic variance
• Big bang nucleosynthesis
• Galaxy formation and evolution
• Large-scale structure of the cosmos - few 100 Mpc - a few percent of the horizon
• Dark matter
• Dark energy
• Cosmic inflation
• Topological defects
• The Ultimate fate of the Universe

Due to the extreme conditions believed to be present during the first minutes of the universe's history, cosmologists often co-operate with scientists from areas such as Particle physics.

Alternative cosmology

Main article: Non-standard cosmology

Non-standard physical cosmologies

• Plasma cosmology
• Beyond the standard Big Bang model
• Steady state theory

Philosophical cosmology

• Presocratic philosophers
• Anthropic principle

Religious cosmology

Main Article: Religious cosmology

• Creationism
• Intelligent design
• Cosmogony

See also

• Timeline of cosmology (as a science)
• Cosmological timeline (cosmological events, and some closer to home)
• List of cosmologists
• important publications in cosmology
• Origins, Nova Online - Provided by PBS.

External references

• Wright, Ned, "Cosmology tutorial and FAQ". Division of Astronomy & Astrophysics, UCLA.
• Jordan, Thomas F., "Cosmology calculations almost without general relativity". (arXiv.org)
• Madore, Barry F., "Level 5 : A Knowledgebase for Extragalactic Astronomy and Cosmology". Caltech and Carnegie. Pasadena, California, USA.
• Hoiland, Paul, "Modern Cosmology Examined"Musing on the Evolution of a Cosmos Gouldsboro, Maine.
• Smith, Tony, "Cosmology -- At the Millennium, Experimental Observations tell us a lot about Cosmology".
• Cosmology -- Cosmology Of The Universe.
• Center for Cosmological Physics. University of Chicago, Chicago.
• Tyler, Pat, and Phil Newman "Beyond Einstein". Laboratory for High Energy Astrophysics (LHEA) NASA Goddard Space Flight Center.
• Dictionary of the History of Ideas: Cosmic Images
• Dictionary of the History of Ideas: Cosmology from Antiquity to 1850
• Dictionary of the History of Ideas: Cosmology since 1850

More reading (general)

• Roger Penrose, The Road to Reality: A Complete Guide to the Laws of the Universe, Jonathan Cape, 2005 (Q1), hardcover, 1136 pages, ISBN 0679454438
• Brian Greene, The Fabric of the Cosmos: Space, Time, and the Texture of Reality (first edition), Knopf (Random House of Canada), 2004 (Q4), hardcover, 576 pages, ISBN 0375412883
• Brian Greene, The Elegant Universe: Superstrings, Hidden Dimensions, and the Quest for the Ultimate Theory, Vintage, 2000, paperback, 464 pages, ISBN 0375708111
• Paul Halpern , The Great Beyond: Higher Dimensions, Parallel Universes and the Extraordinary Search for a Theory of Everything, Wiley, 2004 (Q2), hardcover, 336 pages, ISBN 047146595X