The cosmos is the universe, as we observe it from the earth (and therefore excluding the earth).
Any account of the cosmos would need to address the following phenomena:
- We observe background radiation, consistent with the Big Bang having taken place.
- Our observations of cosmological redshift are consistent with the proposition that the universe is expanding.
- We observe that the universe looks the same in all directions.
- We observe a lumpiness of space which is consistent with the observed formation of galaxies.
- We observe that the rotational speeds with which stars in spiral arms of galaxies revolve around the galactic centre of mass does not continue to attenuate after a given distance from the centre, but remains almost constant.
- We observe that some distant massive objects focus the light of objects behind them, to a degree that is far in excess of the gravitational lensing which might be expected on the basis of their visible mass.