COS - Cosmology OVERVIEW

Cosmology

Introduction

As we enter our last astronaut training module, let's focus on some of those lingering questions you might have about space! What is the Big Bang Theory? Is there life out there on other planets? What is beyond our universe?

Essential Questions

• What is the Big Bang Theory?
• What is the standard cosmological model?

Key Terms

Big Bang - the rapid expansion of dense matter that, according to current cosmological theories, marked the beginning of the universe

Big Crunch - one possible scenario for the ultimate fate of the universe, in which the universe stops expanding and eventually collapses

Big Freeze - one possible scenario for the ultimate fate of the universe, in which the expansion of the universe continues forever

Black Hole - areas where the density of matter is infinite

Cosmology - the science of the origin and development of the universe

Dark Energy - a hypothetical form of energy that permeates all of space and tends to accelerate the expansion of the universe

Exoplanet - a planet outside of the solar system; also known as an extrasolar planet

Singularity - a hypothetical point in space-time at which matter is infinitely compressed to an infinitesimal volume

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