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cosmology

Space

Odd black holes smaller than protons may have once littered the cosmos

Minuscule black holes that formed right after the big bang could have had a strange property called colour charge, and spotting them could help unravel the mystery of dark matter

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What

Physics

What "naked" singularities are revealing about quantum space-time

Features

Physics

Quantum 'arrow of time' suggests early universe had no entanglement

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Quantum to cosmos: Why scale is vital to our understanding of reality

Physics

Quantum to cosmos: Why scale is vital to our understanding of reality

Features

We are about to hear echoes in the fabric of space for the first time

Space

We are about to hear echoes in the fabric of space for the first time

Features

A slice through the largest 3D map of our universe to date

Space

Invisible 'dark radiation' may explain a big problem with dark energy

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This enchanting spiral galaxy can be found in the constellation of Ursa Major (the Great Bear). Star-studded NGC 3972 lies about 65 million light-years away from Earth, meaning that the light that we see now left it 65 million years ago, just when the dinosaurs became extinct. NGC 3972 has had its fair share of dramatic events. In 2011 astronomers observed the explosion of a Type Ia supernova in the galaxy (not visible in this image). These dazzling objects all peak at the same brightness, and are brilliant enough to be seen over large distances. NGC 3972 also contains many pulsating stars called Cepheid variables. These stars change their brightness at a rate matched closely to their intrinsic luminosity, making them ideal cosmic lighthouses for measuring accurate distances to relatively nearby galaxies. Astronomers search for Cepheid variables in nearby galaxies that also contain a Type Ia supernova so they can compare the true brightness of both types of stars. That brightness information is used to calibrate the luminosity of Type Ia supernovae in far-flung galaxies so that astronomers can calculate the galaxies' distances from Earth. Once astronomers know accurate distances to galaxies near and far, they can determine and refine the expansion rate of the universe. This image was taken in 2015 with Hubble's Wide Field Camera 3, as part of a project to improve the precision of the Hubble constant ? a figure that describes the expansion rate of the universe. Text: European Space Agency

Space

Has the biggest problem in cosmology finally been solved?

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Physics

The galactic anomalies hinting dark matter is weirder than we thought

Features

We live in a cosmic void so empty that it breaks the laws of cosmology

Space

We live in a cosmic void so empty that it breaks the laws of cosmology

Features

Space

One of the biggest mysteries of cosmology may finally be solved

The expansion rate of the universe, measured by the Hubble constant, has been one of the most controversial numbers in cosmology for years, and we seem at last to be close to nailing it down

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Space

The multiverse could be much, much bigger than we ever imagined

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Space

There are hints that dark energy may be getting weaker

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Space

Early galaxy seen by JWST contains giant young stars and supernovae

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Space

Some of the greatest cosmic discoveries have come about by accident

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