Universe

Cassidy Colliding particles GETTY

Particle accelerator reveals the early universe’s mysterious X particles

These particles could change our picture of how the early universe evolved.

By Cassidy Ward 5 hours ago

Liz Big Bang GETTY

Ever wonder why the universe exists? Bizarre cosmic Q balls might have the answer

So this might be why the universe didn't self-annihilate right after the Big Bang...globs of quantum fields.

By Elizabeth Rayne 1 month ago

Phil Plait Bad Astronomy VLT_NGC474_PN_distance

Beautifully dying stars and the scale of the Universe

By Phil Plait 5 months ago

The supernova SN 2019NP (centered) blew up in the galaxy NGC 3254, and Hubble was used to observe both it and the stars around it to more accurately gauge its distance. ESA/Hubble & NASA, A. Riess et al.; CC BY 4.0

Measuring the expansion of the Universe: Dying stars may be telling us we're doing it wrong.

By Phil Plait 6 months ago

The spiral galaxy NGC 3254, seen by Hubble in 2019. Credits: ESA/Hubble & NASA, A. Riess et al.; CC BY 4.0

When the Universe makes no sense, look at a pretty galaxy

By Phil Plait 7 months ago

A foreground star (upper left) betrays its nature via diffraction spikes, an optical effect when a point source of light passes through a telescope.

A moment of the Universe

By Phil Plait 8 months ago

What Methuselah’s Star may look like up close (artist’s concept). Credit: NASA/SDO and the AIA science team. Modified by Phil Plait

Methuselah's Star is not older than the Universe after all. But it's still pretty frakking old.

By Phil Plait 8 months ago

Extremely distant hydrogen gas (blue) forms filaments that galaxies were born from in the very early Universe. The gas is displayed over the Hubble image of the Ultra Deep Field. Credit: Roland Bacon, David Mary, ESO and NASA

The best image ever taken of the cosmic web reveals the birthplace of galaxies

By Phil Plait 10 months ago

The elliptical galaxy IC 2006, which lies about 65 million light years from Earth. Credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA Image acknowledgement: Judy Schmidt and J. Blakeslee (Dominion Astrophysical Observatory). Note that the image is not related to science release

The Universe is acting funny. Or we’re looking at it wrong.

By Phil Plait 10 months ago

Artwork depicting the accretion disk around a supermassive black hole in a quasar, creating a jet of matter blowing outwards. Credit: NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/J. da Silva

Another record-breaking quasar with a black hole that’s too supermassive

By Phil Plait 1 year ago