Cosmology

Cosmology

Cosmology is a branch of astronomy that relates to the origin of the Universe, its evolution and eventual fate. It covers a broad variety of topics from string theory to dark matter, and cosmologists work to both broaden and refine our understanding of the current model of the Universe: The Big Bang Theory. With ties to physics, philosophy and ancient history, cosmology is an expansive subject that aims to discover the true theory of everything.
A black hole with the Universe in the background

Our Universe could be trapped inside a black hole with no way out

It's black holes all the way down
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Illustration of an active quasar in a galaxy. The quasar is emitting from the centre of a spiral galaxy. The quasar is powered by material falling into the supermassive blackhole at the centre of the galaxy. This produces high energy radiation which pushes material away from the centre of the galaxy. This quasar wind propels material into the surrounding gas and dust of the galaxy which heats up, shown in blue in the spiral arms.

How understanding nothingness might just explain everything

There's a big, gaping hole in our understanding of the Universe. Meet the scientists trying to understand it
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Man with beard looking surprised by fun facts.

121 random fun facts that will blow your mind

Our collection of the best interesting trivia covers animals, biology, geography, space and much more
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A black hole surrounded by a halo of light being bent around the centre

We’ve just found the largest black hole in the Universe (so far)

The black hole grew to its enormous size by consuming all its nearby siblings
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A spiral galaxy in a void amongst the stars

Earth may be trapped inside a giant void in space, say scientists

Discovering we're living alone could solve one of the biggest problems in space science
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Big Bang, conceptual image

What is the ekpyrotic Universe theory?

What if there was no beginning of time?
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Two balls linked by lightning

New theory could finally make ‘quantum gravity’ a reality – and prove Einstein wrong

A united Theory of Everything is the 'Holy Grail of physics'
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Illustration of a pulsar

Cosmic jets: How some of the most violent (and beautiful) phenomena in the Universe are born

You need just three ingredients to make these truly colossal ‘double-sided lightsabers’
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illustration of cosmic string lensing

How the Universe’s hidden ‘scars’ could unlock time travel

Nobody knows if cosmic strings exist, but if they do, they could change everything we know about the Universe.
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Cone nebula

This strange discovery in space could finally unlock the mystery of dark matter

Researchers on board the International Space Station have detected something unusual going on in interstellar space.
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Close-up image of the Sun

Here’s how the Sun will end all life on Earth

Our star won't keep burning forever.
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Asteroid crashes towards Earth as dinosaur roars in foreground.

The asteroid that killed the dinosaurs had a very strange origin, scientists find

New evidence that the impactor came from beyond Jupiter may settle an old debate in cosmo-chemistry.
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Image of the Tarantula nebula, a star-forming region of space

Here’s how we're understanding the origins of the first stars in the Universe

Looking back deeper into spacetime is revealing the secrets of the Universe’s formation.
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Illustration of cosmic expansion

Dark energy may be even stranger than we thought

The most mysterious phenomenon in the Universe could be about to spring another surprise on us
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Representation of the Big Bang.

The 7 biggest myths about your reality, busted by science

The world isn't what it seems. Here's how science has exposed the fallacies and misconceptions of Earth and the heavens throughout history.
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Debris passes in front of a white dwarf star in this artist's impression of the death of the Solar System

The Solar System will die a grisly death – and astronomers now think they know how

White dwarf stars can’t help but gobble up passing objects – including, eventually, the planets in our own Solar System.
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Total eclipse of the Sun.

How a solar eclipse revealed the warping of spacetime and opened a new window into the Universe

Since its effects were proven more than a century ago, scientists have used gravitational lensing to uncover many of the Universe's mysteries.
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Stars in the constellation Canis Major

This bizarre quantum theory could finally explain how our Universe began

Welcome to the weird and wonderful world of the 'inflation field'.
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Artist’s impression of WD 0816-310, a magnetic white dwarf with a metal scar - making it a so-called cannibal star

This 'zombie' cannibal star was spotted eating its siblings

Think Silence of the Lambs, but make it extra-terrestrial and undead.
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Illustration of fast radio bursts

Earth is being bombarded by mysterious bursts of intergalactic radio waves. And it has scientists puzzled

Fast radio bursts originating from beyond the galaxy were first detected almost 20 years ago.
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