Space is an area of exploration that captures the imaginations of so many people. We have made countless landmark revelations that help us understand our place in the universe but there are so many unanswered questions that have us on the edge of our seats. In this bookazine, we will put many of those mysteries under the microscope. Inside, you will explore the mysteries surrounding the Big Bang, examine galactic enigmas like black holes and quasars and interrogate conundrums closer to home, such as the formation of our Moon. That’s not all, though: we’ll delve into the ever‑tantalising search for alien life and ponder whether humanity will set foot on another planet before we get existential with the end of the universe and the theory of whether we are living in a multiverse. So get ready to decode some of the biggest mysteries in the universe!
WELCOME
COSMIC FOUNDATIONS • Delve into the secrets behind the universe’s origins and its elemental forces
MYSTERIES OF THE BIG BANG • Humanity has encountered many mysteries surrounding the universe, but none is more important than the Big Bang. Read on to discover more about the universe’s bombastic beginnings
WHAT CAUSED THE BIG BANG?
COSMIC INFLATION THE UNIVERSE’S LIGHTNING-FAST GROWTH SPURT
UNIVERSE BREAKERS
IS THE BIG BANG STILL HAPPENING?
DARK FORCES • Dark matter and dark energy make up 95% of the cosmos, yet remain almost completely shrouded in mystery. Understanding them could be key to unlocking the secrets of ouruniverse. So let’s try…
DARK MATTER • Dark matter is, fundamentally, the invisible glue of the universe. It’s also a whole lot more than that, though. Let’s investigate it…
DARK ENERGY • Dark energy, the mysterious force accelerating the universe’s expansion, could very well reshape our entire understanding of physics and cosmology
MYSTERIES OF TIME • Join us as we explore time as the fourth dimension, from Einstein’s relativity to the block universe theory, uncovering its mysteries through physics and human perception
THE SOLAR SYSTEM • Unravel the mysteries surrounding our local stellar neighbourhood
HOW WAS THE MOON FORMED? • The Moon is essential to Earth, but its origins are fiercely debated. Let’s explore some key theories about its formation, including the giant impact hypothesis and a few intriguing others…
MOON MYSTERIES • Unanswered questions about our lunar neighbour
PLANET NINE • It’s never been directly observed but astronomers believe there’s a ninth planet in the Solar System – and it’s still not Pluto!
MYSTERIES OF MARS • Some major questions abound about the Red Planet and how it ended up so desolate. Can we work out what happened to this once potentially habitable world?
CAN SATURN’S MOONS SUSTAIN LIFE? • The Saturnian moons Enceladus and Titan are some of most intriguing candidates for habitability in the solar system
THE OORT CLOUD • Discover the mysterious Oort cloud, a distant realm of enigmatic icy bodies at the very edge of our solar system, shaping comets and puzzling some of our greatest thinkers
WILL HUMANS SET FOOT ON ANOTHER PLANET? • We’ve been to the Moon, and plan to return this decade. But what prospects do we have for exploring other worlds?
GALACTIC ENIGMAS • Explore beyond our solar system into the wider universe
HOW ARE GALAXIES FORMED? • The process of galaxy formation is still something of a mystery, but astronomers have pieced together a rough picture of how it must have happened
BLACK HOLES • Of all the brain-bending things you can think of, they will have nothing on black holes. Prepare to have your mind blown when discovering more about these monumentally mystifying marvels of outer space
GALACTIC...