  In this paper we give a pedagogical review of the recent observational
results in cosmology from the study of type Ia supernovae and anisotropies in
the cosmic microwave background. By providing consistent constrainst on the
cosmological parameters, these results paint a concrete picture of our
present-day universe. We present this new picture and show how it can be used
to answer some of the basic questions that cosmologists have been asking for
several decades. This paper is most appropriate for students of general
relativity and/or relativistic cosmology.
