Image entry: 20260906

Cosmos and stars.

Two visual guides that move from the birth and evolution of the universe to the life cycles of stars.

Illustrated timeline from the Big Bang through inflation, recombination, the dark ages, the first galaxies, galaxy evolution, and the present day, followed by the life cycle of stars.

Cosmic evolution

The Evolution of Galaxies and Stars in the Universe

A visual overview of the universe from the Big Bang to the modern cosmic web, with a companion sequence showing how stars form, mature, expand, explode, and leave stellar remnants.

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Cosmic timeline from the Big Bang to the future, with separate life cycles for low- and medium-mass stars and high-mass stars.

Stars and galaxies

Cosmic Timeline and the Life Cycle of Stars

A timeline of galaxy formation and growth paired with the different paths taken by low-, medium-, and high-mass stars—from stellar nebulae to white dwarfs, neutron stars, or black holes.

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