GET STARTED
Introduction: Cosmology
Cosmologists study the universe as a whole: its birth, growth, shape, size and eventual fate. Get started with our beginner's guide
LATEST COSMOLOGY
Giant 'quasi-stars' spawned early black holes
THIS WEEK: 16:15 17 March 2011
Black holes may have formed in the bellies of gaseous cocoons, which would explain why they grew so big so fast in the early universe
What if supersymmetry is wrong?
THIS WEEK: 17:27 15 March 2011 | 12 comments
Supersymmetry would solve some of the biggest mysteries in physics, but if the Large Hadron Collider can't find it there are alternatives
Newly found brown dwarf is ultra-cool
IN BRIEF: 14:00 12 March 2011 | 8 comments
A recently discovered object is at room temperature, much cooler than other failed stars
Eight extremes: The biggest things in the universe
FEATURE: 17:09 11 March 2011
The mightiest planet, star, galaxy, artefact – and hole
Eight extremes: The densest thing in the universe
COVER STORY: 10:08 11 March 2011
Try working out the density of a black hole
BACKGROUND
Introduction: Black holes
Black holes are among the most famous beasts in the cosmic zoo – our beginner's guide explains how they work, where to find them, and why they matter
MORE COSMOLOGY
Eight extremes: The darkest thing in the universe
COVER STORY: 17:45 10 March 2011
The least bright thing in the universe is dark matter – one day, perhaps we'll see it
Eight extremes: The roundest thing in the universe
COVER STORY: 10:15 10 March 2011 | 32 comments
Does anything live up to the medieval notion of the music of the spheres?
Eight extremes: The brightest thing in the universe
COVER STORY: 16:52 09 March 2011 | 2 comments
What can shine with the light of more than 30 trillion suns?
Eight extremes: The coldest thing in the universe
COVER STORY: 17:20 08 March 2011
The bottom of the temperature scale is one area where humans have no trouble outdoing nature
Largest galaxies grow up gradually like snowflakes
IN BRIEF: 14:00 05 March 2011 | 1 comment
They are monsters of the universe, but elliptical galaxies may be born like tiny snowflakes
ANTIMATTER
The great antimatter mystery
When the universe was born antimatter was just as plentiful as matter. What happened to change that? Physicists Helen Quinn and Yossi Nir investigate