Cosmology

A new study claims that the universe isn’t entirely the same no matter where you look—a radical proposal

The evidence is mounting: this interstellar visitor is even older and weirder than anyone thought

Astronomers may have found the remains of two long-dead stellar siblings

The M.I.T. cosmologist shares his thoughts on physics, the federal funding of science and the resilience of the scientific community

A blip of light in the outer reaches of the Milky Way might be a bizarre black hole born at the beginning of time itself—and the long-sought solution to the mystery of dark matter. Astronomers are calling it “Phoebe”

Where did stars, and light itself, come from? Is there a hidden sector of particles and forces called “dark energy” affecting the cosmos?

Deep surveys of the sky have turned up galaxies vastly larger than our own. Are there even bigger ones yet to be seen?

Our universe appears flat—but this observation still leaves plenty of options for its true shape. In fact, our cosmos could resemble a donut

Seen just 800 million years after the big bang, an object called LAP1-B is a galactic building block that seems to hold some of the first stars to ever shine

Models giving dark matter more complex behavior could help solve multiple cosmic mysteries

Researchers are perplexed by a galaxy that seems too large and too dusty for its place in cosmic history, less than a half-billion years after the big bang

A physicist explores how poetry, pop culture and imagination help us understand spacetime and our place in the universe