Wonders of the Universe

FEELING THE FORCE

Gravity certainly feels like a powerful force. It built our planet, our solar system, and all the billions of star systems in the Universe, diligently assembling clouds of dust and gas into neatly ordered spheres. Matter curves the fabric of the Universe, and in doing so the spheres are bound together and marshalled into orbits, generating the cyclical cosmos we witness from Earth – from our journey through the yearly seasons to the daily ebb and flow of the tides. Gravity reaches far across the space between the star systems, forming galaxies, clusters and superclusters which all beat out orbital rhythms on longer and longer timescales. Gravity is the creator of order and rhythm in our dynamic and turbulent universe.

Galaxy clusters like this one, MS0735.6+7421, are all subject to the power and force of gravity.

B. MCNAMARA (UNIVERSITY OF WATERLOO) / NASA / ESA/ STScI / SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY