Universe
totality consisting of space, time, matter and energy
The universe comprises all of existence: all forms of matter and energy, and the structures they form, from subatomic particles to entire galactic filaments. Since the early 20th century, the field of cosmology has established that the universe has been expanding for 13.8 billion years, starting from a dense fireball in an event called the Big Bang. The observable portion of the universe is approximately 93 billion light-years in diameter at present. The total size of the universe is not known.
Some of the earliest cosmological models of the universe were geocentric, placing Earth at the center. During the Scientific Revolution, astronomical observations led to a heliocentric model. Further observational improvements led to the realization that the Sun is one of a few hundred billion stars in the Milky Way, which is one of a few hundred billion galaxies in the observable universe. At the largest scale, galaxies are distributed uniformly and the same in all directions. At smaller scales, galaxies are distributed in clusters and superclusters, which form immense filaments and voids in space, creating a vast foam-like structure. Discoveries in the early 20th century, including general relativity, led to the modern view of an expanding, isotropic, homogeneous universe.
“Universe” enters the record as totality consisting of space, time, matter and energy. Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what Universe, totality and consisting can confirm, complicate or overturn.
Why this record matters
“Universe” is worth following because a concise public description often conceals a longer documentary argument. Here, Universe, totality and consisting provides the most credible route into that argument.
Named sources, stable identifiers and responsible institutions provide the strongest route from overview to verifiable evidence. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 24, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q1. The Library of Congress control number is sh2010007248. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 1 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank.
A concise general-reference account can conceal disagreements about scope, terminology or the weight assigned to individual sources. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Use the entry as an orientation point, then follow its citations and revision history. Names, dates and institutional relationships should be checked against the original record.
- Subject orientation
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The closest primary source, responsible institution and strongest cited specialist reference.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Universe”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Universe primary sources, Universe archive and Universe research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
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This entry incorporates text from “Universe” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.