cosmology

The study of the origin, structure, evolution, and fate of the universe as a whole.

• big bang: the universe expanded from an initial hot, dense state ~13.8 billion years ago
• cosmic microwave background: relic radiation from the early universe, snapshot of first light
• dark matter: unseen mass dominating gravity in galaxies and clusters
• dark energy: accelerating expansion of spacetime, ~68% of total energy density
• governed by general relativity at large scales and quantum mechanics at early epochs
• large-scale structure shaped by gravity, field fluctuations, and thermodynamics
• connects entropy, spacetime, and information theory at the deepest level