Introduction

Image from http://www-obs.univ-lyon1.fr/~ga/eclipses.html ECLIPSES DE SOLEIL ET DE LUNE simulations 3D (presque) photoréalistes

Have you ever found yourself looking at the world and universe around you and getting lost in a sense of wonder? Found yourself asking the questions, how and why? Questions that scientists deal with as a matter of course, but which many people seem to forget why they were asked as soon as they realise the answers are not as simple as they had hoped.

Keats claimed that by "unweaving" the rainbow, (explaining how the diffraction of light through droplets of water splits white light into its constituent frequencies, as in a prism,) Isaac Newton had destroyed its beauty; that somehow the mystery of the rainbow was lost. But by explaining natural phenomena such as this, it is possible to come closer to a real understanding of our environment, and the universe around us.

In the few pages of this site, the formation of the universe according to the "big bang theory" is discussed in general terms, and then with a closer look at the development of chemistry in the formation of galaxies, stars and solar systems, this is linked in to the creation and development of life on earth.

Obviously, the physics, chemistry, biochemistry and biology of these topics is extremely diverse and it is only possible to scratch the surface within such a small web site. However, this site aims to give the basic concepts, as well as raising important questions and providing sources for the answers and further reading.