The cosmos, the vast and intricate structure of the universe, is a never-ending source of fascination. From the billions of stars in the Milky Way to the outer spiral arm where our solar system resides, each discovery unveils a new chapter in the story of the universe.

The Milky Way is a barred spiral galaxy with a D25 isophotal diameter estimated at 26.8 ± 1.1 kiloparsecs (87,400 ± 3,600 light-years), but only about 1,000 light-years thick at the spiral arms (more at the bulge). Recent simulations suggest that a dark matter area, also containing some visible stars, may extend up to a diameter of almost 2 million light-years (613 kpc).The Milky Way has several satellite galaxies and is part of the Local Group of galaxies, which form part of the Virgo Supercluster, which is itself a component of the Laniakea Supercluster.

It is estimated to contain 100–400 billion stars and at least that number of planets. The Solar System is located at a radius of about 27,000 light-years (8.3 kpc) from the Galactic Center, on the inner edge of the Orion Arm, one of the spiral-shaped concentrations of gas and dust. The stars in the innermost 10,000 light-years form a bulge and one or more bars that radiate from the bulge. The Galactic Center is an intense radio source known as Sagittarius A*, a supermassive black hole of 4.100 (± 0.034) million solar masses. The oldest stars in the Milky Way are nearly as old as the Universe itself and thus probably formed shortly after the Dark Ages of the Big Bang.

What exists beyond the universe?

This isn't a question that physics can answer with our present knowledge. The trite answer is that both space and time were created at the big bang about 13.8 billion years ago, so there is nothing beyond the universe because it is the starting point, i.e. the Singularity!

The Solar System and Beyond

Join us as we journey through the solar system, a canvas of endless possibilities. With missions like the Parker Solar Probe and Solar Orbiter monitoring the Sun, and the exploration of the eight planets, we are on a quest to uncover the mysteries of our cosmic neighbourhood. The heliosphere is the magnetosphere, astrosphere, and outermost atmospheric layer of the Sun. It takes the shape of a vast, tailed bubble-like region of space. In plasma physics terms, it is the cavity formed by the Sun in the surrounding interstellar medium. The "bubble" of the heliosphere is continuously "inflated" by plasma originating from the Sun, known as the solar wind. Outside the heliosphere, this solar plasma gives way to the interstellar plasma permeating the Milky Way. As part of the interplanetary magnetic field, the heliosphere shields the Solar System from significant amounts of cosmic ionizing radiation. Voyager 1 and 2 have now left the Solar System and are now in Interstellar space

Are There Other Solar Systems Like Ours?

Planet Kepler-186f

The artist’s concept depicts Kepler-186f, the first validated Earth-sized planet orbiting a distant star in the habitable zone — a range of distances from a star where liquid water might pool on the surface of an orbiting planet Structure Building Blocks

Artist’s concept depicts Kepler-186f,

Kepler-186f, is located within the TRAPPIST-1  system about 500 light-years from Earth.

It is located about 40 light-years away, in the TRAPPIST-1 system. Not only do all seven planets in the system appear to be Earth-sized and rocky, three of them are located in the habitable zone of their star. While ​​liquid water could theoretically pool on TRAPPIST-1e, f and g, the other planets are probably too close or far from their sun to be in this “goldilocks zone. ” The 'Goldilocks Zone,' or habitable zone, is the range of distance with the right temperatures for water to remain liquid. Discoveries in the Goldilocks Zone, like Earth-size planet Kepler-186f, are what scientists hope will lead us to water––and one day life.

Exoplanet K2-18b.

James Webb Space Telescope May Have Just Detected Alien Life at Exoplanet K2-18b. Either we found a new chemical process we've never run across before, or we found alien life.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=82cLukqLgME

Unravelling the Structure of Space and Matter

The concept of Space and Matter is that we tend to see Space as a vacuum where matter and energy exists but this is incorrect. The nature of Space is formed by Quantum Fluctuations which creates the Virtual Particles that are the "fabric of space". These particles are constantly changing but overall there is an average 'normality' of field density across our Universe which also determines the speed of light and other EM waves. These particle fields are not just local but link the whole of our Universe together like a gravitational and quantum field web where every interaction affects the whole web of a Universe. The mechanics of this interaction has also been shown using quantum mechanics which describes how the cosmos works on the tiniest of scales. Specifically, scientists are studying a bizarre phenomenon of quantum mechanics called "entanglement," where one particle can instantly influence another — even from opposite sides of the Universe. 

Physicists (2016) have now confirmed that matter is also no more than fluctuations in the quantum vacuum. The researchers simulated the frantic activity that goes on inside protons and neutrons. These particles provide almost all the mass of ordinary matter. Each proton (or neutron) is made of three quarks – but the individual masses of these quarks only add up to about 1% of the proton’s mass. So what accounts for the rest of it? Theory says it is created by the force that binds quarks together, called the strong nuclear force. In quantum terms, the strong force is carried by a field of virtual particles called gluons, randomly popping into existence and disappearing again. The energy of these vacuum fluctuations has to be included in the total mass of the proton and neutron.