13.8 billion years ago, something incredible happened. Matter, energy, space and time all suddenly burst into existence in a cataclysmic event that’s come to be known as the Big Bang. It was the birth of our universe. What started life smaller than the tiniest subatomic particle is now unimaginably vast and plays home to trillions of galaxies. The formulation of the Big Bang theory is a story that combines some of the most far-reaching concepts in fundamental physics with equally far-reaching observations of the universe. And as our understanding of the birth of the universe deepens, so does the realisation that it cannot last for ever. Including the latest astronomical observations and theoretical breakthroughs, as well as examining the theories that reveal how our universe could end, this is an enlightening account of modern cosmology.