The Universe
Part of Hall of the Universe.

The observable universe contains as many as 100 billion galaxies and extends a billion light-years in every direction.
In This Section
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Formation and Evolution of the Universe
Our Milky Way Galaxy was once thought to comprise the entire known universe. Today our universe encompasses many billions of galaxies,...
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Dimming Starlight
Telescopes can easily zoom in on a star. But to see a dim object next to a star, such as a planet, astronomers need to block out...
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What is the Universe?
The universe is all the matter, energy, and space that exist. We can observe only a part of it - the observable universe.
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Universality of Physical Laws
All parts of the universe are subject to the same simple laws of nature that we find here on Earth.
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The Big Bang
The Big Bang is the scientific description of the origin of the cosmos.
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Evolution of the Universe
Galaxies form and evolve within an expanding and cooling universe. Because light takes billions of years to cross the cosmos, we...
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Our View of the Universe
When we look out into space, we also look back into time.
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What are Active Galaxies?
An active galaxy emits up to thousands of times more energy than a normal galaxy.