In astrophysics and cosmology, the anthropic principle is the philosophical consideration that observations of the physical Universe must be compatible with the conscious life that observes it.

: For an annotated list of textbooks and monographs, see physical cosmology.

In physical cosmology, the Copernican principle, named after Nicolaus Copernicus, states that the Earth is not in a central, specially favored position.

Kepler described his new astronomy as " celestial physics ", as " an excursion into Aristotle's Metaphysics ", and as " a supplement to Aristotle's On the Heavens ", transforming the ancient tradition of physical cosmology by treating astronomy as part of a universal mathematical physics.

In astrophysics and physical cosmology, Olbers ' paradox, named after the German astronomer Heinrich Wilhelm Olbers and also called the " dark night sky paradox ", is the argument that the darkness of the night sky conflicts with the assumption of an infinite and eternal static universe.

Physicists study a wide range of physical phenomena in many branches of physics spanning all length scales: from sub-atomic particles of which all ordinary matter is made ( particle physics ) to the behavior of the material Universe as a whole ( cosmology ).

One proposed timeline of the origin of space, from physical cosmology.

The modern era of physical cosmology began in 1917, when Albert Einstein first applied his general theory of relativity to model the structure and dynamics of the universe.

Also included are the predictions of cosmology, the results of the interpretation of quantum mechanics, the foundations of statistical mechanics, causality, determinism, and the nature of physical laws.

In physical cosmology, the term cosmos is often used in a technical way, referring to a particular space-time continuum within the ( postulated ) multiverse.

In physical cosmology, the cosmological constant ( usually denoted by the Greek capital letter lambda: Λ ) is equivalent to an energy density in otherwise empty space.

Hubble's law or Lemaître's law is the name for the astronomical observation in physical cosmology that: ( 1 ) all objects observed in deep space ( intergalactic space ) are found to have a doppler shift observable relative velocity to Earth, and to each other ; and ( 2 ) that this doppler-shift-measured velocity, of various galaxies receding from the Earth, is proportional to their distance from the Earth and all other interstellar bodies.

In physical cosmology, Big Bang nucleosynthesis ( or primordial nucleosynthesis, abbreviated BBN ) refers to the production of nuclei other than those of H-1 ( i. e. the normal, light isotope of hydrogen, whose nuclei consist of a single proton each ) during the early phases of the universe.

Modern cosmological ideas follow the development of the scientific discipline of physical cosmology.

The shape of the universe is a matter of debate in physical cosmology over the local and global geometry of the universe which considers both curvature and topology, though, strictly speaking, it goes beyond both.

Cosmologists normally work with a given space-like slice of spacetime called the comoving coordinates, the existence of a preferred set of which is possible and widely accepted in present-day physical cosmology.

Mount Meru (), also called Sumeru i. e. the " Excellent Meru " and Mahameru i. e. " Great Meru ", is a sacred mountain in Jain cosmology, Hindu as well as Buddhist cosmology and is considered to be the center of all the physical, metaphysical and spiritual universes.

It also forms the basis for the rigorous path integral formulation of quantum mechanics ( by the Feynman – Kac formula, a solution to the Schrödinger equation can be represented in terms of the Wiener process ) and the study of eternal inflation in physical cosmology.

In particle physics and physical cosmology, the Planck scale is an energy scale around 1. 22 × 10 < sup > 19 </ sup > GeV ( which corresponds by the mass – energy equivalence to the Planck mass 2. 17645 × 10 < sup >− 8 </ sup > kg ) at which quantum effects of gravity become strong.

In modern physical cosmology, the cosmological principle is the working assumption that observers on Earth do not occupy an unusual or privileged location within the universe as a whole, judged as observers of the physical phenomena produced by uniform and universal laws of physics.

In physical cosmology, first light refers to the light emitted from the first generation of hyperstars, formed less than a billion years after the big bang, which brought to an end cosmological dark ages.

The ultimate fate of the universe is a topic in physical cosmology.

The physical model behind cosmic inflation is extremely simple, however it has not yet been confirmed by particle physics, and there are difficult problems reconciling inflation and quantum field theory.

* Yuri N. Obukhov On physical foundations and observational effects of cosmic rotation ( 2000 )

She is a caring, nurturing figure, but she also has to deal with being an Omega-level mutant and the physical manifestation of the cosmic Phoenix Force.

A recurrent and important element of Taoism are rituals, exercises and substances aiming at aligning oneself spiritually with cosmic forces, at undertaking ecstatic spiritual journeys, or at improving physical health and thereby extending one's life, ideally to the point of immortality.

The Champion possesses vast physical strength, that is only limited by the amount of cosmic force that his body can contain.

His philosophical grand vision was that the universe itself was similarly interconnected, as if an organism, through cosmic " sympathy ", in all respects from the development of the physical world to the history of humanity.

One of the most important of these levels or aspects of reality is the " astral light ", a cosmic fluid which may be molded by will into physical forms.

Though Blake was influenced by his grand and mystical cosmic conception, Swedenborg's conventional moral structures and his Manichean view of good and evil led Blake to express a deliberately depolarized and unified vision of the cosmos in which the material world and physical desire are equally part of the divine order, hence, a marriage of heaven and hell.

Modern physical cosmology as it is currently studied first emerged as a scientific discipline in the period after the Shapley – Curtis debate and discoveries by Edwin Hubble of a cosmic distance ladder when astronomers and physicists had to come to terms with a universe that was of a much larger scale than the previously assumed galactic size.

Denison, independently of Lamont, deduced the danger in the Electron Pump ( although it was Lamont who discovered the final technical facts ), and goes on to find a solution that harms no one and greatly benefits humanity: he taps into yet another parallel universe, that exists in a pre-big bang state ( a cosmic egg or cosmeg ), where physical laws are different and, in fact, opposite to the ones in Dua's universe.

Louis Pasteur proposed that biological molecules are asymmetric because the cosmic physical forces that preside over their formation are themselves asymmetric.

The Sacred Mirrors present the physical and subtle anatomy of an individual in the context of cosmic, biological and technological evolution.

Topics studied by theoretical astrophysicists include: stellar dynamics and evolution ; galaxy formation ; magnetohydrodynamics ; large-scale structure of matter in the Universe ; origin of cosmic rays ; general relativity and physical cosmology, including string cosmology and astroparticle physics.

This scenario also explains why the present Universe at largest scales appears spatially flat, homogeneous and isotropic, providing a physical alternative to cosmic inflation.

Four of the five galaxies in Stephan's Quintet form a physical association, Hickson Compact Group 92, and are involved in a cosmic dance that most likely will end with the galaxies merging.

The Diamond Realm represents the unchanging cosmic principle of the Buddha, while the Womb Realm depicts the active, physical manifestation of Buddha in the natural world.

The World Pantheist Movement symbol is the spiral as seen in the curves of the nautilus shell, or in the spiral arms of a galaxy, showing the link between the cosmic physical ( thousands of light years ) and the biological.

This scenario also explains why the present Universe at largest scales appears spatially flat, homogeneous and isotropic, providing a physical alternative to cosmic inflation.

The medal has been awarded to multiple individuals in the same year: in 1977 it was awarded to Arno Allan Penzias and Robert Woodrow Wilson " for their discovery of the cosmic microwave radiation ( a remnant of the very early universe ), and their leading role in the discovery of interstellar molecules "; in 1989 to Riccardo Giovanelli and Martha P. Haynes " for the first three-dimensional view of some of the remarkable large-scale filamentary structures of our visible universe "; in 1993 to Ralph Asher Alpher and Robert Herman " for their insight and skill in developing a physical model of the evolution of the universe and in predicting the existence of a microwave background radiation years before this radiation was serendipitously discovered " and in 2001 to R. Paul Butler and Geoffrey Marcy " for their pioneering investigations of planets orbiting other stars via high-precision radial velocities ".

The accidental discovery of cosmic microwave background radiation is a major development in modern physical cosmology.

In physical cosmology, the power spectrum of the spatial distribution of the cosmic microwave background is near to being a scale-invariant function.

After the Runner destroys Thanos's craft, Thanos reveals to him that he has discovered the true nature of the Infinity Gems ; thet they are, in fact, the physical remnants of a godlike being that existed before the creation of our universe, and who committed a form of cosmic suicide out of loneliness.

Watchers can augment their strength with cosmic psionic energy if they choose to ; however, they tend to minimize their physical activities.

In physical cosmology, the fluctuations of the cosmic microwave background are known to be approximately Gaussian, both theoretically as well as experimentally.