Cosmologists simulated 4,000 versions of the universe in order to understand what its structure today tells us about its origins. Source: https://www.livescience.com/simulating-early-universe-inflation.html
Tag: universe
James Webb Space Telescope – Hubble’s successor – to launch in October
The James Webb Space Telescope is the world’s most complex infrared telescope, built for a wide range of research projects. NASA is now targeting October 31 for its launch on an Ariane 5 rocket from French Guiana. Source: https://earthsky.org/space/james-webb-telescope-hubble-successor-to-launch…
Swarm of black holes discovered
For the first time, astronomers have detected the presence of a throng of black holes crowding near the center of an ancient globular cluster. Source: https://earthsky.org/space/group-black-holes-found-globular-cluster-ngc-6397…
Upheaval and extinctions linked to magnetic reversal 42,000 years ago
42,000 years ago, a breakdown in Earth’s magnetic field led to environmental catastrophes and mass extinctions. Source: https://earthsky.org/earth/magnetic-field-reversal-42000-years-ago-neanderthal-extinction…
Cold dust cores in the central zone of the Milky Way
The Milky Way’s central molecular zone (CMZ) spans the innermost 1600 light-years of the galaxy (for comparison, the Sun is 26,600 light-years away from the galactic center) and includes a vast complex of molecular clouds containing about sixty million solar-masses of molecular gas. The gas in these clouds exists under more extreme physical conditions than elsewhere in the galaxy on average,…
First black hole ever detected is more massive than we thought
New observations of the first black hole ever detected have led astronomers to question what they know about the Universe’s most mysterious objects. Source: https://phys.org/news/2021-02-black-hole-massive-thought.html…
Quantum collaboration gives new gravity to the mysteries of the universe
Scientists have used cutting-edge research in quantum computation and quantum technology to pioneer a radical new approach to determining how our Universe works at its most fundamental level. …
Life as we do not know it: Astrobiology and the Mars 2020 mission
Life as we know it has never been found anywhere in our solar system or universe, other than on Earth. But that does not necessarily mean it is not out there. Source: https://phys.org/news/2021-02-life-astrobiology-mars-mission.html…
Supercomputer turns back cosmic clock
Astronomers have tested a method for reconstructing the state of the early universe by applying it to 4000 simulated universes using the ATERUI II supercomputer at the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan (NAOJ). They found that together with new observations, the method can set better constraints on inflation, one of the most enigmatic events in the history of the universe. The…
The smallest galaxies in our universe bring more about dark matter to light
Our universe is dominated by a mysterious matter known as dark matter. Its name comes from the fact that dark matter does not absorb, reflect or emit electromagnetic radiation, making it difficult to detect. Source: https://phys.org/news/2021-02-smallest-galaxies-universe-dark.html…