The field of cosmology is one of the most exciting in contemporary science. The questions are of the grandest possible nature - how did the universe come to be, and what is its ultimate fate? And remarkably we live in an era when it has become a fully fledged experimental science, rather than just the playground of theorists.

Huge optical telescopes are pushing our vision back towards the dawn of galaxies and stars. But we are also making images of the sky in a whole range of light that our eyes cannot see - from radio waves to X-rays. In the microwave for instance we can see much further back still, all the way back to the fireball which was the infant universe. Small ripples in its surface, along with several other lines of evidence, point to the fact that the everyday material of which our solar system is made represents only a few percent of the total mass of the universe.

This series will lay out the current state of our knowledge with an emphasis on the experimental discoveries and observations which are shaping our picture of the universe in which we find ourselves. No scientific background is required. Just bring your curiosity and share in the excitement of modern cosmology.

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KICP Members: Clement L. Pryke