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.

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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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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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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The James Webb Space Telescope has captured images of ancient galaxies that shouldn't exist. A cosmologist explains what could be going on.

According to current thinking, the Universe isn’t old enough to contain such massive galaxies.
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What's inside the fifth dimension?

What else could there be beyond the three dimensions of space and one of time? And how can we begin to conceive of it?
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Why we don’t have to worry about being sucked into the supermassive black hole at the centre of the Milky Way

Black holes may be notorious for sucking up anything that gets in their way, but we have nothing to worry about from the one in our galaxy’s heart. At least not for another four billion years.
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In Pictures: Euclid sends back first test images

Euclid sends back its first images ahead of producing a 3D map of the Universe.
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Scientists reproduce the eerily beautiful sound of twinkling stars – and you can listen

Music inspired scientists’ new approach to understanding the waves of energy that flow in the centre of massive stars – and the results are more eery than a nursery rhyme.
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What's the largest planet in the Universe?

Find out the biggest planet in our Solar System and beyond.
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The six numbers that define the entire Universe

In this edited extract from The Little Book of Cosmology, physicist Prof Lyman Page explains how our model of the Universe relies on just six parameters.
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