Cosmology is a research area in astrophysics that investigates the large-scale properties, origin, composition, and dynamical evolution of the Universe as a whole. It integrates general relativity, quantum field theory, and observational astronomy to construct and test models such as the ΛCDM paradigm, characterized by dark energy, cold dark matter, and baryonic matter. Cosmology addresses the expansion history, cosmic microwave background anisotropies, structure formation, and primordial nucleosynthesis, using data from galaxy surveys, gravitational lensing, supernovae, and cosmic background experiments to constrain fundamental parameters and probe physics at energy scales inaccessible to terrestrial laboratories.
NASA's plans to return astronauts to the moon through the Artemis program and ultimately send humans to Mars highlight just how far space exploration has come. Yet while the moon and Mars remain compelling destinations filled ...
Astronomy
Jun 8, 2026
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A supermassive black hole lies at the heart of every galaxy, including the Milky Way. When a black hole is active, it pulls material in as a whirlpool of high-temperature gas and dust. As this cosmic material piles up and ...
Astronomy
Jun 8, 2026
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Gravitational waves are tiny ripples in spacetime. Their first direct detection in 2015 marked a revolutionary moment in astronomy. Today, we have a thorough understanding of signals that travel far from their sources through ...
General Physics
Jun 4, 2026
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The Hobby-Eberly Telescope Dark Energy Experiment (HETDEX)—which recently completed the largest survey ever taken of the early universe—has released all of its immense, information-rich database to the public. Built from ...
Astronomy
Jun 3, 2026
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Think about a census. You could photograph every house in the country and produce a beautiful map, but without knocking on doors and asking questions, you'd know almost nothing about the people living in them.
Astronomy
May 29, 2026
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Researchers from the University of Glasgow's Institute for Gravitational Research are celebrating the publication of a vast new treasure trove of gravitational wave detections, hailed as a milestone marking the coming of ...
Astronomy
May 26, 2026
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A team from Vienna and Frankfurt has found a formula describing a strange phenomenon: Space and time can form a kind of "crystal" that may turn into a black hole. The results are described in Physical Review Letters.
General Physics
May 21, 2026
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153
Trying to solve quantum gravity is frustrating. We have made tremendous progress in quantum theory, but it seems that every time we find a new quantum technique, there's a reason it doesn't quite work with gravity. Take, ...
General Physics
May 13, 2026
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The largest-ever survey of physicists from around the world—released today—shows a distinct lack of consensus across many of physics's most important questions, from the nature of black holes and dark matter, to the still-incomplete ...
General Physics
May 12, 2026
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Cornell astronomers are deploying a new instrument that grants them, for the first time, a better view of the universe's earliest galaxies, which can't be observed individually with traditional ground- or space-based telescopes.
Astronomy
May 12, 2026
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