Observations by the High-z Supernova Search Team, described by RobertKirshner, hint that we live in a "stop and go" universe whose expansion slowed under the influence of gravity before accelerating again due to an unexplained dark energy. This artist's conception illustrates the history of the cosmos, from the Big Bang and the recombination epoch that created the microwave background, through the formation of galactic superclusters and galaxies themselves. The dramatic flaring at right emphasizes that the universe's expansion currently is speeding up. (David A. Aguilar, Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics) JPEG (128K) High Resolution JPEG (3.1M) TIFF (4.7M)
	Same image, labeled. (David A. Aguilar, Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics) JPEG (137K) High Resolution JPEG (3.2M) TIFF (4.7M)
Animation file (3.9M)	An animation showing the history of the Universe from the Big Bang to the present day. After slowing for billions of years, the expansion of the Universe currently is accelerating under the influence of dark energy. (Credit: Dana Berry)

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