Galaxy formation and evolutionSubfield of cosmology Part of a series onPhysical cosmology Big BangUniverse Age of the universe Chronology of the universe Early universe InflationBaryogenesisNucleosynthesis Backgrounds Gravitational wave (GWB) Microwave (CMB)Neutrino (CNB) Expansion and future Hubble's lawRedshift Expansion of the universe FLRW metricFriedmann equations Lambda-CDM model Future of an expanding universe Ultimate fate of the universe Components and structure Components Dark energyDark matter PhotonsBaryons Structure Shape of the universe Galaxy filamentGalaxy formation Large quasar group Large-scale structure ReionizationStructure formation Experiments Black Hole Initiative (BHI) BOOMERanG Cosmic Background Explorer (COBE) Dark Energy Survey Planck space observatory Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) 2dF Galaxy Redshift Survey ("2dF") Wilkinson Microwave AnisotropyProbe (WMAP) Scientists Aaronson Alfvén Alpher Copernicus de Sitter Dicke Ehlers Einstein Ellis Friedmann Galileo Gamow Guth Hawking Hubble Huygens Kepler Lemaître Mather Newton Penrose Penzias Rubin Schmidt Smoot Suntzeff Sunyaev Tolman Wilson Zeldovich List of cosmologists Subject history Discovery of cosmic microwavebackground radiation History of the Big Bang theory Timeline of cosmological theories Category Astronomy portalvte In cosmology, the study of galaxy formation and evolution is concerned with the processes that formed a heterogeneous universe from a homogeneous beginning, the formation of the first galaxies, the way galaxies change over time, and the processes that have generated the variety of structures observed in nearby galaxies.
Galaxy clusterA galaxy cluster, or a cluster of galaxies, is a structure that consists of anywhere from hundreds to thousands of galaxies that are bound together by gravity, with typical masses ranging from 10 to 10solar masses (M☉). Clusters consist of galaxies, heated gas, and dark matter. They are the biggest known gravitationally bound structures in the universe. They were believed to be the largest known structures in the universe until the 1980s, when superclusters were discovered.
Cosmic microwave backgroundTrace radiation from the early universe Temperature map of the cosmic microwave background measured by the Planck spacecraft Part of a series onPhysical cosmology Big BangUniverse Age of the universe Chronology of the universe Early universe InflationBaryogenesisNucleosynthesis Backgrounds Gravitational wave (GWB) Microwave (CMB)Neutrino (CNB) Expansion and future Hubble's lawRedshift Expansion of the universe FLRW metricFriedmann equations Lambda-CDM model Future of an expanding universe Ultimate fate of the universe Components and structure Components Dark energyDark matter PhotonsBaryons Structure Shape of the universe Galaxy filamentGalaxy formation Large quasar group Large-scale structure ReionizationStructure formation Experiments Black Hole Initiative (BHI) BOOMERanG Cosmic Background Explorer (COBE) Dark Energy Survey Planck space observatory Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) 2dF Galaxy Redshift Survey ("2dF") Wilkinson Microwave AnisotropyProbe (WMAP) Scientists Aaronson Alfvén Alpher Copernicus de Sitter Dicke Ehlers Einstein Ellis Friedmann Galileo Gamow Guth Hawking Hubble Huygens Kepler Lemaître Mather Newton Penrose Penzias Rubin Schmidt Smoot Suntzeff Sunyaev Tolman Wilson Zeldovich List of cosmologists Subject history Discovery of cosmic microwavebackground radiation History of the Big Bang theory Timeline of cosmological theories Category Astronomy portalvte The cosmic microwave background (CMB, CMBR), or relic radiation, is microwave radiation that fills all space in the observable universe.
Observable universeThe observable universe is a spherical region of the universe consisting of all matter that can be observed from Earth; the electromagnetic radiation from these astronomical objects has had time to reach the Solar System and Earth since the beginning of the cosmological expansion. The radius of this region is about 14.26 gigaparsecs (46.5 billion light-years or 4.40×10 m).
General relativityTheory of gravitation as curved spacetime Slow motion computer simulation of the black hole binary system GW150914, during 0.33 s of its final inspiral, merge, and ringdown. The star field behind the black holes is being heavily distorted and appears to rotate and move, due to extreme gravitational lensing, as spacetime itself is distorted and dragged around by the rotating black holes.
AstronomyAstronomy is a natural science that studies celestial objects and the phenomena that occur in the cosmos. It uses mathematics, physics, and chemistry to explain their origin and their overall evolution. Objects of interest include planets, moons, stars, nebulae, galaxies, meteoroids, asteroids, and comets. Relevant phenomena include supernova explosions, gamma ray bursts, quasars, blazars, pulsars, and cosmic microwave background radiation.
MatterSomething that has mass and volumeHydrogen in its plasma state is the most abundant ordinary matter in the universe.In physical science, matter is anything that has mass and occupies space by having volume. All everyday objects that can be touched are ultimately composed of atoms, which are made up of interacting subatomic particles.
GravityIn physics, gravity (from Latin gravitas'weight'), also known as gravitation or a gravitational interaction, is a fundamental interaction, which may be described as the force that draws material objects towards each other. The gravitational attraction between clouds of primordial hydrogen and clumps of dark matter in the early universe caused the hydrogen gas to coalesce, eventually condensing and fusing to form stars.
Electromagnetic radiationIn physics, electromagnetic radiation (EMR) or an electromagnetic wave (EMW) is a self-propagating wave of the electromagnetic field that carries momentum and radiant energy through space. It encompasses a broad spectrum, classified by frequency (inversely proportional to wavelength), ranging from radio waves, microwaves, infrared, visible light, ultraviolet, X-rays, to gamma rays.
Gravitational lensA gravitational lens is matter, such as a cluster of galaxies or a point particle, in sufficient quantity and density to bend light noticeably from a distant source as it travels toward an observer. The amount of gravitational lensing is described by Albert Einstein's general theory of relativity. If light is treated as corpuscles travelling at the speed of light, Newtonian physics also predicts the bending of light, but only half of that predicted by general relativity.
AnisotropyAnisotropy () is the structural property of non-uniformity in different directions, as opposed to isotropy. An anisotropic object or pattern has properties that differ according to direction of measurement. For example, many materials exhibit very different physical or mechanical properties when measured along different axes, e.g. absorbance, refractive index, conductivity, and tensile strength.
CosmologyCosmology (from Ancient Greek (cosmos)'the universe, the world' and (logia)'study of') is the study of the nature of the universe, the cosmos. The term cosmology was first used in English in 1656 in Thomas Blount's Glossographia, with the meaning of "a speaking of the world". In 1731, German philosopherChristian Wolff used the term cosmology in Latin (cosmologia) to denote a branch of metaphysics that deals with the general nature of the physical world.
LightLight, visible light, or visible radiation is electromagnetic radiation that can be perceived by the human eye. Visible light spans the visible spectrum and is usually defined as having wavelengths in the range of 400–700 nanometers (nm), corresponding to frequencies of 750–420 terahertz.*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.