View larger image | The universe was a quiet place for millions of years after the Big Bang, plunged into darkness when electrons and protons cooled enough to combine into neutral hydrogen atoms. Today, scientists are reconstructing the series of events that led to the first stars, galaxies and ultimately the universe as seen today. Credit: From left: pederk/istockphoto; T. Dubé; Detlev van Ravenswaay/Photo Researchers, Inc.; Hubble Heritage Team/STSCI/AURA/NASA; John H. Wise; NASA, JPL-Caltech, T. Pyle/SSC; NASA, ESA, Hubble Heritage Team/STScI/AURA