What in the Universe? Jake Black
Publisher: Penguin Young Readers Group

For thousands of years, astronomers wrestled with basic questions about the size and age of the universe. In this talk, I would like to speculate a little, on the development of life in the universe, and in particular, the development of intelligent life. |< · < Prev · Random Image URL (for hotlinking/ embedding): http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/major_in_the_universe.png. At the moment, life on Earth is the only known life in the universe, but there are compelling arguments to suggest we are not alone. The Universe includes planets, stars, galaxies, the contents of intergalactic space, the smallest subatomic particles, and all matter and energy. The universe was born with the Big Bang as an unimaginably hot, dense point. We only know about a small fraction of the matter in the Universe. According to the standard Big Bang model, the universe was born during a period of inflation that began about 13.7 billion years ago. Everything you see, from the brightest star to the faintest galaxy, is part of the same universe. The rest is a mysterious substance known only as dark matter. Space.com offers an overview of the universe and its history. There is no centre of the universe!