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Unsolved problems in cosmology

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The science of cosmology has been very successful in explaining a wide range of observational evidence about the Universe, from the detailed properties of the cosmic microwave background radiation to the distributions of galaxies, and the elemental abundances in astrophysical environments. However, there are several major unknowns in cosmological theory, including the nature of dark matter and dark energy. These gaps in knowledge are frustrating for anyone who would like to understand the nature of the Universe. In this free course, Unsolved problems in cosmology, you will learn about what the current unsolved problems are and about the possible ways in which they may be solved in the future.

This OpenLearn course is an adapted extract from the Open University course S385 Cosmology and the distant Universe.

This content forms part of the Dangoor Education collection, the educational arm of The Exilarch's Foundation.

Course learning outcomes

After studying this course, you should be able to:

understand the basis of modern cosmology based on the hot big bang
summarise the main candidate dark matter particles, and the prospects for directly detecting them
compare models to explain the late-time acceleration of the Universe's expansion, i.e. dark energy and the cosmological constant
discuss observational prospects for understanding the nature of dark energy
explain the theoretical problems that led to the theory of inflation, how an early inflationary period solves them and how researchers are investigating inflation.

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First Published: 06/11/2024

Updated: 06/11/2024

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Daniel Jose Mendicini 20 March 2026 5:55PM

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La Cosmologia es fascinante, y mas aun lo que desconocemos del contenido de materia-energia de Universo. Muy buen curso

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Roger Davies 23 December 2024 5:04AM

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This course summarized very effectively the issues surrounding the Big Bang and why some models such as MOND are not able to explain observations at the cosmic scale. The videos were clear, precise engaging, and even homely (the professor looking for his cup was amusing). I learned new concepts that I had not been aware of previously, such as reheating. For anyone who wants to better understand fundamental concepts as to how the universe came to be so, this is the course for you.

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Unsolved problems in cosmology

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