THE

UNIVERSE
From the Big Bang to the future of exoplanets and more
What is The Universe?
The universe is an immense cosmic realm containing
all known space, time, matter, and energy. Spanning
approximately 93 billion light-years, it comprises
ordinary matter, dark matter, and dark energy,
structured into galaxies, stars, and planetary
systems. Born from the Big Bang 13.8 billion years
ago, the universe continuously expands, driven by
fundamental forces and mysterious dark energy. It
represents the ultimate frontier of scientific
exploration and human understanding.
The History of the
Universe
13.8 billion years
380,000 Years After
the Big Bang:
1 Billion Years After
the Big Bang:
ago: Recombination
Formation of the First
The Big Bang Electrons combine with Stars
The universe begins as protons to form neutral
The first stars ignite,
a singularity and rapidly hydrogen atoms,
marking the beginning
expands, creating allowing light to travel
of the 'Cosmic Dawn'
space, time, and freely, leading to
and the reionization of
energy. Cosmic Microwave
the universe.
Background Radiation.

13.8 Billion Years

Ago to Present:
9 billion years after
the Big Bang: Evolution of the
Universe
Formation of the Milky
Continual expansion,
Way Galaxy
and formation of
Our galaxy begins to galaxies, stars, and
take shape, planets, leading to the
accumulating gas, dust, emergence of life on
and stars. Earth and the ongoing
exploration of the
cosmos.
The Big Bang Theory

The Big Bang Theory is the prevailing cosmological model explaining

the origin and evolution of the universe. It posits that approximately
13.8 billion years ago, the universe began as an infinitely hot and
dense singularity that rapidly expanded and cooled. This expansion
led to the formation of subatomic particles, then atoms, and
eventually stars and galaxies. The theory is supported by several key
observations, including the cosmic microwave background radiation,
the abundance of light elements in the universe, and the ongoing
expansion of space. While the Big Bang Theory effectively describes
the universe's evolution from its earliest moments, it does not explain
the exact nature of the singularity itself or what existed before it.
Formation of Galaxies
Origins of Galaxies Role of Dark Matter
Dark matter is a crucial component in
Formation from primordial gas clouds galaxy formation
Initial density fluctuations leading to Influence on the structure and
gravitational collapse distribution of galaxies

Types of Galaxies
• Spiral Galaxies: Characterized by their spiral arms and
flat disks, Example: The Milky Way
• Elliptical Galaxies: Smooth, featureless light profiles,
Ranging from nearly spherical to elongated shapes.
• Irregular Galaxies: Lack a defined shape or structure,
Often rich in gas and dust, leading to active star
formation
 Life Cycle of Stars

Formation in Main Red Giant or Final Stages: White Stellar

Nebulae Sequence Supergiant Dwarfs, Neutron Remnants and
Phase Stage Stars, or Black Holes Recycling
Once a protostar As hydrogen in The fate of a The remnants
Stars begin of stars
reaches sufficient the core is star depends
their life in vast contribute to
temperature and depleted, stars on its mass:
clouds of gas medium-sized
the cosmic
pressure, nuclear expand into red cycle,
and dust known stars shed their
fusion ignites in giants (for enriching the
as nebulae. its core, marking medium-sized outer layers to interstellar
Under the the transition to stars) or become white medium with
the main supergiants (for dwarfs. heavy
influence of elements.
gravity, regions sequence phase. massive stars). Massive stars
These
within these Here, stars spend In this phase, they may explode in
elements can
most of their lives, begin fusing supernovae,
clouds collapse, later form
fusing hydrogen heavier elements, leaving behind new stars,
leading to the neutron stars
into helium. such as helium planets, and
formation of into carbon and or collapsing potentially
protostars. life,
The Solar System
The Sun The Planets
• Inner Planets (Terrestrial):
• Central star of the solar system Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars
• Composed of hydrogen (about • Outer Planets (Gas Giants)
74%) and helium (about 24%) Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune

Moons and Natural Satellites Other Celestial Bodies

• Over 200 known moons orbiting the • Asteroids
planets Primarily found in the Asteroid Belt
Notable moons: Earth's Moon, Jupiter's between Mars and Jupiter
Europa, and Saturn's Titan • Comets
Composed of ice and dust; famous
examples include Halley's Comet and
Comet NEOWISE
Dark Matter and Dark
Energy
Dark Matter Dark Energy
• Makes up approximately 27% of the universe's • Constitutes about 68% of the universe and is
total mass-energy content. responsible for its accelerated expansion.

• Does not emit, absorb, or reflect light, making • Acts as a repulsive force, counteracting
it invisible and detectable only through its gravitational attraction and increasing the
gravitational effects on visible matter. rate of expansion.

• First proposed in the 1930s by astronomer • Discovered in the late 1990s through
Fritz Zwicky, based on observations of galaxy observations of distant supernovae.
clusters. • Revealed that the universe's expansion is
• Evidence includes galaxy rotation curves and accelerating, leading to the conclusion of a
gravitational lensing. mysterious form of energy driving this.
Black Holes
Formation of Black Types of Black Holes Event Horizons
Holes • Stellar Black Holes: Typically, 3 • Definition: The boundary
to 20 times the mass of our Sun,
surrounding a black hole
• Stellar Collapse: Black holes formed from collapsing stars.
beyond which nothing can
form when massive stars
• Supermassive Black Holes: escape, not even light.
exhaust their nuclear fuel
Found at the centers of galaxies,
and undergo gravitational containing millions to billions of • Schwarzschild Radius: The
collapse. solar masses. radius of the event horizon,
determined by the mass of
• Supernova Events: The • Intermediate Black Holes:
the black hole; for example,
explosive death of a star can Hypothetical black holes with
a black hole with 10 solar
lead to the creation of a masses between stellar and
supermassive, still under masses has a radius of about
black hole if the remaining
investigation. 30 kilometers.
core is sufficiently massive.
Exoplanets and the Search
for Life
Understanding Methods of Discovery Habitability Criteria Ongoing Search for
Exoplanets • Extraterrestrial Life
• Transit Method: Goldilocks Zone:
• Missions: Space
• Definition: Observing the The region around a
telescopes like Kepler
Exoplanets are dimming of a star as star where and TESS are
planets located a planet passes in conditions may be dedicated to finding
front of it. just right for liquid new exoplanets.
outside our solar
system. • Radial Velocity: water. • Future Prospects: The
Measuring the star's • Atmospheric James Webb Space
• Importance: They Composition: The Telescope aims to
wobble due to
provide insights into presence of gases like analyze the
gravitational pull
planetary systems oxygen and methane atmospheres of
from orbiting planets.
and potential as potential potentially habitable
biosignatures exoplanets.
habitability.
 The Future of The Universe

Big Big Heat Cyclic

Big Rip Crunch Death Univers
Freeze e
The universe's If the density of A gradual process
In this scenario,
expansion the universe is where the This theory posits
the universe
accelerates to the high enough, universe reaches that the universe
continues to
point where it gravitational a state of undergoes infinite
expand
tears apart forces could maximum cycles of
indefinitely,
galaxies, stars, reverse the entropy, resulting expansion and
leading to a state
planets, and even expansion, in a uniform contraction,
of low energy
atomic structures, causing the temperature and suggesting a
where stars burn
culminating in a universe to the cessation of all perpetual rebirth
out and galaxies
catastrophic end. collapse back into thermodynamic of the cosmos
drift apart,
a singularity, processes, through repeated
resulting in a cold,
potentially leading effectively ending Big Bangs and Big
dark cosmos.
to a new Big Bang. all forms of life. Crunches.