The Dawn of ‘Dark Ages’ Astronomy
The universe’s light-starved early epochs, as well as the first stars and galaxies, lie beyond the reach of conventional observatories but could be revealed by a new generation of radio telescope arrays
Why Is the Sky Dark at Night? You Can Thank the Big Bang
Called Olbers’ paradox, the seemingly simple mystery of the sky’s darkness is something that stumped astronomers for centuries
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A Weird Form of Dark Energy Might Solve a Cosmic Conundrum
Estimates of how fast the universe is expanding disagree. Could a new form of dark energy resolve the problem?
Review: How a Group of Women Launched Modern Cosmology
A new biography of astronomer Henrietta Leavitt celebrates meaning making in science
Slime Mold Helps to Map the Universe’s Tendrils of Dark Matter
A single-celled organism’s pathfinding reveals connections in the universe’s vast “cosmic web”
How Many Holes Does the Universe Have?
The shape of the cosmos could be much more complex than anyone had ever imagined
A Mystery about the Universe’s First Black Holes May Be Solved at Last
Astrophysicist Priyamvada Natarajan predicted that black holes can form without the help of stars. New observations support her theory
Next-Generation Cosmic Observatory Hits South Pole Stumbling Block
Cosmic Microwave Background Stage 4, a top-priority project for U.S. astrophysics, was designed to make breakthrough observations of the universe’s very earliest moments. Now the U.S. government says it can’t currently support the project’s construction at the South Pole
Collapsing Sheets of Spacetime Could Explain Dark Matter and Why the Universe ‘Hums’
Domain walls, long a divisive topic in physics, may be ideal explanations for some bizarre cosmic quirks
Could JWST Solve One of Cosmology's Greatest Mysteries?
The telescope's studies could help end a long-standing disagreement over the rate of cosmic expansion. But scientists say more measurements are needed
Massive Cosmic Map Suggests Dark Energy Is Even Weirder Than We Thought
In just one year of observations, a program that is creating the largest 3D map of the universe to date has sniffed out hints that dark energy may be stranger than scientists supposed
Here’s Why We Might Live in a Multiverse
Several branches of modern physics, including quantum theory and cosmology, suggest our universe may be just one of many