Universe Content

Doing Without Dark Energy

Andy Fell — December 13, 2017 - 3:38pm

Three mathematicians have a different explanation for the accelerating expansion of the universe that does without theories of “dark energy.” Einstein’s original equations for General Relativity actually predict cosmic acceleration due to an “instability,” they argue in paper published recently in Proceedings of the Royal Society A.

Long Ago and Far Away, an Average Galaxy

Andy Fell — April 10, 2017 - 8:00am

Astronomers led by a graduate student at the University of California, Davis have discovered one of the most distant galaxies in the universe, and it’s nothing out of the ordinary.

Astronomers Measure Universe Expansion, Get Hints of ‘New Physics’

Andy Fell — January 26, 2017 - 5:01pm

Astronomers have just made a new measurement of the Hubble constant, the rate at which the universe is expanding, and it doesn’t quite line up with a different estimate of the same number. That discrepancy could hint at “new physics” beyond the standard model of cosmology, according to the team, which includes physicists from the University of California, Davis, that made the observation.

Astronomers See Faintest, Furthest Galaxy

Andy Fell — May 19, 2016 - 12:19pm

A team of scientists led by two �� physicists has detected and confirmed the faintest early-universe galaxy yet. This new object, seen as it was about 13 billion years ago, could help astronomers understand the “reionization epoch” when the first stars became visible.

Funds awarded to begin construction of Large Synoptic Survey Telescope

IET WebDev — August 04, 2014 - 3:15pm

The National Science Foundation has agreed to support the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy to manage the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope construction project, with a budget of up to $473 million. The announcement caps more than 10 years of developing, planning and reviewing of the LSST concept.