How we see the universe - cosmology in the past, present and
future eras on earth
The night-sky with its splendour and mystery has been a source of perennial
fascination to every sensitive person.
Artists, poets and philosophers have drawn inspiration from it and scintists have
constantly tried to understand the nature
and behaviour of celestial objects visible in the sky.As a result of centuries of
such investigation, we possess today
a sufficiently good understanding of the universe at large as revealed by the
heavens around us.But the picture of universe concieved by man has been a changing
one.
This picture has been a result of close interaction between observation and theory,
between facts discovered and models created to fit those facts together.
The accuracy of astronomical observations has improved with time, especially with
the development of telescopes and other instruments.
Similarly, our knowledge of the laws of nature has progressively increased. As a
result, our concept of the universe has evolved through the ages.
Introduction
Cosmology: The Study of the Universe
Cosmology is the scientific study of the large scale properties of the Universe as a
whole. It endeavors to use the scientific method to understand the origin, evolution
and ultimate fate of the entire Universe. Like any field of science, cosmology
involves the formation of theories or hypotheses about the universe which make specific predictions for phenomena that can be tested with observations
Cosmologists work to better understand the contents, structure, and evolution of the
universe over vast stretches of space and time and over enormous ranges of density,
temperature, and energy. Theorists, observers, and experimenters use a diverse
assortment of techniques and instruments to answer questions of the most fundamental
kind. Progress over the past three decades, but especially since the maturing of
space science, has been astonishing.
The problems of cosmology are particularly well posed, but many of the solutions
have remained elusive for decades. At last, with the accelerating influx of new data
from numerous advanced experimental and theoretical techniques, fundamental questions
about the nature of our physical world are beginning to be answered. Cosmologists eagerly await the exciting new insights that will surely come in the
next decade.
If another briefing on cosmology is written 10 years from now, it will undoubtedly
bear little resemblance to this one.
- Past- the curiosity and Conceptions of our ancestors
- Present - What we know now
- Future - How cosmology is expected to develope and based on what theories