Cosmology
Podcast: How Big is the Universe?
We’re ready to complete our trilogy of discovery about the universe. We’ve learned that it has no center; rather everywhere…
Podcast: What is the Shape of the Universe?
Some of the biggest questions in the universe depend on its shape. Is it curved? Is it flat? Is it…
Massive Stars Need Their Smaller Siblings To Grow
So how do rare massive stars grow 10 to 150 times the mass of our Sun? It turns out that…
Podcast: Where is the Centre of the Universe?
There are some people – I’m not naming names – who think the universe revolves around them. In fact, for…
Pulsars are Exploding Unexpectedly and “Magnetars” Might be to Blame
Pulsars are fast-spinning, highly radiating neutron stars. Most pulsars emit radio, X-ray and gamma radiation at regular intervals (usually periods…
Dark Matter and Dark Energy… the Same Thing?
I've said it many times, but it bears repeating: regular matter only accounts for 4% of the Universe. The other…
Method to Test String Theory Proposed
What is the universe made of? While general relativity does a good job providing insights into the Big Bang and…
Will Time be Replaced by Another Space Dimension?
What if time disappeared? Yes, it sounds like a silly question - and if the cosmos sticks to the current…
Supercomputers Pitch in to Search for Missing Matter
I know, I know, you're probably getting sick of hearing this. Astronomers have no idea what 95% of the Universe…
Podcast: Questions on Inflation
It's about time for a question show again, so we'll have one last interruption to our planetary tour, to deal…