solar system

Cosmology

The study of the physical universe.

Astrology

The science of celestial bodies.

Mormon Cosmology

Based on the Book of Mormon and includes beliefs about pre-existing life before the universe was created.

Buddhist Cosmology

Based on the concept of samsara, which is an endless cycle of birth, death, and rebirth driven by karma.

Samsara

An endless cycle of birth, death, and rebirth.

Islamic Cosmology

Based on Allah, similar to the Bible, and the belief that the universe was created from nothing.

Hindu Cosmology

Based on Brahman, traced back to ultimate reality, and is similar to Buddhist cosmology.

Brahman

The supreme being and source of all existence.

Steady State Theory

Proposes that the universe is expanding and has no beginning; matter is constantly created.

Big Bang Theory

Suggests the universe began from a hot point that exploded; evidence includes cosmic background radiation.

Inflation Theory

Describes a super fast expansion of the universe that smoothed it out and created galaxies, stars, and planets.

String Theory

Posits that there are tiny strings of energy that vibrate inside all matter, proposing a unified theory of everything.

M-Theory

Developed by Stephen Hawking and Leonard Mlodinow; suggests a collision of membranes leading to new universes with 11 dimensions.

Galaxy

A system of stars, interstellar gas, dust, and dark matter, e.g., the Milky Way.

Vortex Theory

Proposed by Rene Descartes; suggests that the universe is filled with matter moving in whirlpool patterns called vortices.

Collision Theory

Formulated by George Louis Leclerc Buffon; claims a comet struck the sun, ejecting debris that formed planets and moons.

Tidal Theory

Developed by James Harold Jeans and Harold Jeffreys; suggests planets formed from material torn from the sun by a passing star's gravity.

Nebular Hypothesis

Proposes that the sun and planets originated from a massive, rotating cloud of gas and dust (nebula) that collapsed under gravity.

Solar Nebular Theory/Model

A refinement of the nebular hypothesis, stating that a nebula contracted to form the sun.