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Natural Sciences · Advanced

Modern Cosmology

Why is the night sky dark? What is the faint microwave glow that fills the sky? Why do galaxies spin too fast, and why is the universe's expansion speeding up? Follow the evidence that shaped modern cosmology, from stretched light to the helium made in the first minutes after the Big Bang, then measure the shape of space and design universes that crunch or expand forever.

8 lessons~40 min0/8 complete
1

Light from the Beginning

Redshift, darkness and the cosmic background.

  1. Why Is the Night Sky Dark?Olbers’ paradox
  2. Stretching SpaceCosmological redshift
  3. The AfterglowThe cosmic microwave background
2

The Dark Universe

Dark matter, dark energy and the first elements.

  1. Dark MatterGalaxies that spin too fast
  2. Dark EnergyThe accelerating universe
  3. The First Three MinutesWhere helium came from
3

Shape and Fate

Is space curved, and how will it all end?

  1. The Shape of SpaceFlat, closed or open
  2. The Fate of the UniverseCrunch, freeze or something stranger