#1 Victorian uni for graduate employment1
#1 in the world for sport science2
#1 Victorian uni for course satisfaction3
NEXT UP ON this.
What comes to mind when you look up at the night sky? There are deep questions out there, amongst the twinkling distant stars, the occasional streak of a meteor, and the vast black space in between. For those who dedicate themselves to the study of cosmology, there are answers somewhere out there, too. As noted by Sharon Begley: ‘Somewhere, something incredible is waiting to be known’.
Cosmology is a fascinating field – one in which the scope of study is literally as big as the universe. But what is cosmology, really, and why is it important to us here on our comparatively tiny planet? To help us as we shoot for the stars, we spoke with Deakin University research fellow and astronomy education expert, Dr Saeed Salimpour.
The word ‘cosmology’ comes from two Greek roots: ‘kosmos’, which conveys the idea of ‘order’, and ‘logos’, which relates to thought and reason. As Salimpour explains, cosmology as a field might be best described as the search for understanding the architecture of the universe.
‘Through observation, and advanced computer simulations, grounded in mathematical parametrisations, cosmologists aim to provide a scientific account of the evolutionary history of the universe, by understanding the fundamental physical and chemical mechanisms operating within the universe,’ he says.
While there are plenty of pressing concerns about space closer to home – like the build-up of space junk in orbit, for instance – cosmology is all about asking (and attempting to answer) some of the deepest, most fundamental questions of our universe. This leads to some truly wide-angle cosmological research.
‘Some of the key research endeavours in cosmology include exploring the glow left over from when the universe was around 380,000 years old – the cosmic microwave background (CMB) radiation,’ says Salimpour.
Other focuses of cosmology research include ‘Mapping the large-scale structure of the universe, measuring the expansion rate of the universe and by extension the age of the universe, characterising the evolutionary history of the universe, determining the large-scale composition of the universe, and understanding the nature of dark matter and dark energy’.
Contemporary cosmology can feel very much rooted in the Western scientific tradition, but the field has an ancient, indigenous history. So, what is indigenous cosmology, and how does it compare to the modern, Western perspective?
‘Cosmology is the most ancient of endeavours in the pursuit of knowledge, with roots in philosophy, mythology and religion. In terms of cosmology or more generally “sky viewing” or “sky knowledge”, cultures around the world all have various accounts of cosmology, mainly in the context of creation stories,’ Salimpour says.
These ideas of cosmology are present (along with those creation-based religious and spiritual themes) in the Dreamtime of indigenous Australians and show up in the knowledge and traditions of the ancient Sumerian Enuma Elish, Norse Mythology, the Innuit and other indigenous cultures around the world.
‘These accounts laid the groundwork for a long tradition of asking the “big questions” about the universe,’ says Salimpour. ‘For millennia, indigenous sky stories have been an important part of daily life. These stories are based on extensive observations of the night sky to decipher patterns that are then used as the basis of a culture. But these observations have also been valuable to modern science.’
And, while Salimpour says that these ideas of indigenous cosmology aren’t about mathematical, physical and chemical analysis like Western cosmology, they still ask deep, universal questions, and play a role alongside contemporary knowledge.
‘Indigenous cosmologies are grounded in careful observations that weave together deep synergetic relationships between people, the land and the cosmos, essentially knowledge is contextualised into a larger notion of belonging,’ Salimpour says.
Image: Tchingal descending into the bush. The majestic band of the Milky Way, showing part of the Emu in the sky (Tchingal), the pointer stars and the southern cross. Credit: Saeed Salimpour.
For some of us, cosmology’s nearly endless scope could be its downfall. Why, when there are so many pressing concerns here on Earth, should we look out to the farthest reaches of space and time? As Salimpour explains, the pursuit of cosmological knowledge isn’t just abstract – there are tangible benefits.
‘One way to answer the question of importance would be to look at the ways in which asking the big questions in cosmology have led to developments that benefit society directly and/or indirectly,’ he says. ‘For example, studying the Universe has resulted in “spin-off” technologies that have been vital to society: Wi-Fi, imaging techniques for medical imaging to name a few. I would say that every time humanity has tried to understand any aspect of the universe better, we have fortuitously made life on Earth better.’
Cosmology also has the power to inspire students to take up other STEM subjects, Salimpour says, as well as having more philosophical benefits.
‘It is about awe, wonder, beauty, hope, optimism, and giving people the opportunity to have a cosmic perspective, a connection that extends beyond geographic and political borders,’ he says. ‘Once again, asking the big questions which have an intellectual dimension allows humanity as whole to develop shared knowledge capital.’
Cosmology is the study of the universe on its grandest scales – its size and age, for instance – whereas the related field of astronomy can be understood as the study of celestial bodies, like stars, planets, moons, asteroids and comets. However they’re defined, though, both fields are heavily grounded in disciplines like physics, mathematics and computer science. As Salimpour’s research shows, cosmology, astronomy and art are all tightly linked, too.
‘Through my research with collaborators, we have shown that both have overarching similarities, which include observation, creative and critical thinking, exploration, experimentation, aesthetic experiences, visual thinking, recognizing patterns and manipulations of data and media,’ he says. ‘Art and cosmology are about awe, wonder, imagination, hope, optimism, which inspires us to explore the cosmos and develop a cosmic perspective.’
It’s an interesting intersection – and one that should energise anyone with both creative and scientific passions. As Salimpour explains, by combining art and science – in this case, the fields of astronomy and cosmology – we can push the boundaries of both.
‘The artist’s laboratory and the scientist’s studio, or stereotypically vice-versa, are places where open-ended inquiry through a continuous process of thinking and doing forms the foundation of building knowledge,’ Salimpour says. ‘This is captured best by the various international collaborations between artists and astronomers (I use the term broadly to include cosmologists). These collaborations take many forms but include data transition (where astronomical data is used to create artworks both audio and visual); residencies (where artists spend time with scientists); Indigenous–Scientific dialogue (cosmology as epistemic encounter); and Immersive Public Science (planetarium shows, installations).’
Image: Tchingal rising. Credit: Saeed Salimpour.
Ask Salimpour and he’ll tell you that there are only big questions in cosmology, meaning there are plenty of reasons for learning about and teaching astronomy and cosmology in the classroom. The most pressing question in cosmology today might be filling the gaps in our understanding of the ‘story of the universe’, as Salimpour calls it.
‘For example, we have discovered that the universe is not only expanding but the expansion is accelerating; however, the mechanism that underpins this accelerated expansion is yet to be fully understood,’ Salimpour says. ‘Yes, it has been attributed to something called dark energy, but the nature of this dark energy has yet to be determined.’
Another of cosmology’s current conundrums is that measurements of the CMB suggest that just 5% of the universe is made up of ‘ordinary’ matter – the rest is, so far, poorly understood.
‘Dark energy makes up around 70%, and the remaining 25% of the universe is made up of dark matter, a type of matter that does not emit any detectable electromagnetic radiation (dark), and only interacts through gravity,’ says Salimpour. ‘There is a state-of-the-art facility right here in Stawell, Victoria that is trying to detect and characterise the nature of Dark Matter – Stawell Underground Physics Laboratory (SUPL).’
For those looking to a future in cosmology, it’s clear there is still a universe-worth of questions to answer.
–
Banner image: Webb’s First Deep Field. High resolution near-infrared image of the galaxy cluster SMACS 0723 located roughly 4.5 billion light years away, shows thousands of galaxies. Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI
Research Fellow
Faculty of Arts and Education/School of Education/Research for Educational Impact
Deakin University
