Cosmology

How would you describe the Big Bang idea in everyday language without using technical jargon? What kinds of evidence—such as cosmic background radiation or galaxy redshifts—support the Big Bang picture? What do scientists mean when they talk about the early universe being hot, dense and rapidly expanding? Which questions about the very beginning of the universe remain open or deeply debated? How does thinking about the universe having a history affect philosophical or religious views about creation?

Why do scientists believe that most of the matter in the universe is 'dark' and invisible to telescopes? What observations of galaxies and galaxy clusters suggest the presence of dark matter? How is dark energy different from dark matter, and how does it relate to the acceleration of cosmic expansion? What are some leading hypotheses about the nature of dark matter, and why is it so hard to detect directly? How do you feel about the idea that most of the universe is made of stuff we still barely understand?

How are galaxies arranged on the largest scales, and what does the 'cosmic web' refer to? What physical processes help shape the formation of galaxies, clusters and superclusters over billions of years? How do simulations of the universe help scientists test ideas about cosmic structure and evolution? In what ways do observations of the large-scale universe connect back to conditions in the very early universe? What aspects of the universe’s large-scale structure do you find most surprising or hard to visualize?

How did Einstein’s ideas about space-time change our understanding of gravity and the universe? What does it mean for space itself—not just objects within space—to be expanding? How are concepts like curved space-time and gravitational waves tested through observations? What are some everyday analogies people use to describe cosmic expansion, and where do these analogies fall short? How do ideas from relativity challenge common intuitions about time, distance and simultaneity?

What kinds of questions about meaning and purpose are raised by modern cosmology, even if it cannot answer them directly? How do different cultures and belief systems respond to scientific stories about the origin and fate of the universe? What are the strengths and limits of using purely scientific methods to think about questions like 'Why is there something rather than nothing?' How might future discoveries in cosmology reshape long-standing philosophical or religious debates? How do you personally reconcile or navigate scientific and non-scientific ways of understanding the universe?