Abstract:

Cosmological research indicates that our Universe began with an explosive expansion from a hot and dense state some 13.7 billion years ago - an event know as the Big Bang. But the concept of our Universe having a beginning prompts many further questions. What was there before the Big Bang? How has our Universe become so big and old? What powers our Universe and how long will it last? Might there be many different universses? How many habitable zones are there in our Universe and what can we learn about them?