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Do not fill this in! == Overview == === Scientific theories === [[File:Universe expansion-en.svg|thumb|The [[Big Bang]] theory, which explains the Evolution of the Universe from a hot and dense state, is widely accepted by physicists.]] In [[astronomy]], cosmogony refers to the study of the origin of particular astrophysical objects or systems, and is most commonly used in reference to the origin of the universe, the [[Solar System]], or the [[Earth–Moon system]].<ref name="DicAstro2" /><ref name="CosmoToday2" /> The prevalent [[physical cosmology|cosmological]] [[scientific theory|model]] of the early development of the [[universe]] is the [[Big Bang]] theory.<ref name="Wollack">{{Cite web |last=Wollack |first=Edward J. |date=10 December 2010 |title=Cosmology: The Study of the Universe |url=http://map.gsfc.nasa.gov/universe/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110514230003/http://map.gsfc.nasa.gov/universe/ |archive-date=14 May 2011 |access-date=27 April 2011 |website=Universe 101: Big Bang Theory |publisher=[[NASA]]}}</ref> [[Sean M. Carroll]], who specializes in [[Physical cosmology|theoretical cosmology]] and [[Field (physics)|field theory]], explains two competing explanations for the origins of the [[Gravitational singularity|singularity]], which is the center of a space in which a characteristic is limitless<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Carroll |first=Sean |date=28 April 2012 |title=A Universe from Nothing? |url=http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2012/04/28/a-universe-from-nothing/#.XMQHyM9KhmA |access-date=22 April 2019 |website=Science for the Curious |archive-date=10 May 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160510012738/http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2012/04/28/a-universe-from-nothing/#.XMQHyM9KhmA |url-status=dead }}</ref> (one example is the singularity of a [[black hole]], where [[gravity]] is the characteristic that becomes {{nowrap|limitless{{hsp}}{{mdash}}{{hsp}}}}infinite). It is generally thought that the universe began at a point of singularity, but among Modern Cosmologists and Physicists, a [[Gravitational singularity|singularity]] usually represents a lack of understanding, and in the case of Cosmology/Cosmogony, requires a theory of [[quantum gravity]] to understand. When the universe started to expand, what is colloquially known as the Big Bang occurred, which evidently began the universe. The other explanation, held by proponents such as [[Stephen Hawking]], asserts that time did not exist when it emerged along with the universe. This assertion implies that the universe does not have a beginning, as time did not exist "prior" to the universe. Hence, it is unclear whether properties such as space or time emerged with the singularity and the known universe.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1">{{Cite book |last1=Carroll |first1=Sean |title=Spacetime and Geometry: An Introduction to General Relativity |last2=Carroll |first2=Sean M. |publisher=Pearson |year=2003}}</ref>{{clarify|date=March 2021 |reason=This paragraph is a hopeless muddle after the second sentence.}} Despite the research, there is currently no theoretical model that explains the earliest moments of the universe's existence (during the [[Planck epoch]]) due to a lack of a testable theory of [[quantum gravity]]. Nevertheless, researchers of [[string theory]], its extensions (such as [[M-theory]]), and of [[loop quantum cosmology]], like [[Barton Zwiebach]] and Washington Taylor, have proposed solutions to assist in the explanation of the universe's earliest moments.<ref>{{Cite web |title=String Theory/Holography/Gravity |url=http://ctp.lns.mit.edu/research-strings.html |access-date=20 April 2019 |website=Center for Theoretical Physics}}</ref> Cosmogonists have only tentative theories for the early stages of the universe and its beginning. The proposed theoretical scenarios include [[string theory]], M-theory, the [[Hartle–Hawking state|Hartle–Hawking initial state]], [[emergent Universe]], [[String theory landscape|string landscape]], [[Inflation (cosmology)|cosmic inflation]], the [[Big Bang]], and the [[ekpyrotic universe]]. Some of these proposed scenarios, like the [[string theory]], are compatible, whereas others are not.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Becker |first1=Katrin |title=String Theory and M-Theory |last2=Becker |first2=Melanie |author-link2=Melanie Becker|last3=Schwartz |first3=John |publisher=Cambridge University Press |year=2007 |location=Cambridge, UK}}</ref> === Mythology === {{Main|Creation myth}} [[File:Sumerian creation myth.jpg|thumb|The [[Library of Ashurbanipal|Sumerian tablet]] containing parts of the [[Sumerian creation myth|Eridu Genesis]]]] In mythology, [[Creation myth|creation]] or cosmogonic myths are narratives describing the beginning of the [[universe]] or [[cosmos]]. Some methods of the creation of the universe in mythology include: * the will or action of a [[Deity|supreme being]] or beings, * the process of [[metamorphosis]], * the copulation of female and male [[Deity|deities]], * from [[Chaos (cosmogony)|chaos]], * or via a [[World egg|cosmic egg]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Long |first=Charles |title=Creation Myth |url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/creation-myth#ref1239147 |access-date=20 April 2019 |website=Encyclopedia Britannica}}</ref> Creation myths may be [[Etiological myth|etiological]], attempting to provide explanations for the origin of the universe. For instance, [[Sumerian creation myth|Eridu Genesis]], the oldest known creation myth, contains an account of the creation of the world in which the universe was created out of a primeval sea ([[Abzu]]).<ref>{{Cite web |date=20 July 1998 |title=Eridu Genesis Mesopotamia Epic |url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/Eridu-Genesis |access-date=30 April 2019 |website=Encyclopaedia Britannica |publisher=Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Morris |first=Charles |date=1897 |title=The Primeval Ocean |journal=Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia |volume=49 |pages=12–17 |jstor=4062253}}</ref> Creation myths vary, but they may share similar [[Deity|deities]] or [[symbol]]s. For instance, the ruler of the gods in [[Greek mythology]], [[Zeus]], is similar to the ruler of the gods in [[Roman mythology]], [[Jupiter (mythology)|Jupiter]].<ref name=":3">{{Cite book |last1=Thury |first1=Eva |title=Introduction to Mythology Contemporary Approaches to Classical and World Myths, 4th ed. |last2=Devinney |first2=Margaret |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=2017 |location=Madison Avenue, New York |pages=4, 187}}</ref> Another example is the ruler of the gods in Tagalog mythology, [[Bathala]], who is similar to various rulers of certain pantheons within [[Philippine mythology]] such as the Bisaya's [[Philippine mythology|Kaptan]].<ref>Garverza, J. K. (2014). The Myths of the Philippines. University of the Philippines.</ref><ref>Jocano, F. L. (1969). Philippine Mythology. Quezon City: Capitol Publishing House Inc.</ref> [[File:Serer cosmogony - representation of the universe.jpg| thumb| The representation of the Universe as rooted in Serer religion and Cosmogony]] Summary: Please note that all contributions to Christianpedia may be edited, altered, or removed by other contributors. If you do not want your writing to be edited mercilessly, then do not submit it here. You are also promising us that you wrote this yourself, or copied it from a public domain or similar free resource (see Christianpedia:Copyrights for details). Do not submit copyrighted work without permission! Cancel Editing help (opens in new window) Discuss this page