Physical cosmology
Branch of cosmology which studies mathematical models of the universe
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We include updates on Big Bang, Universe, Expansion of the universe, Dark matter, Observable universe, Multiverse, Cosmic microwave background, Great Attractor, Ultimate fate of the universe, Dark energy, Boltzmann brain, Chronology of the universe, Age of the universe, Redshift, Hubble's law, Anthropic principle ... and more.
| 2025 |
Michael Friedman
Passed away while still a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences.
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| March 26 2025 |
Michael Friedman
Michael Friedman passed away, concluding his distinguished career in philosophy of science and continental philosophy.
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| March 2025 |
Phantom energy
The Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) collaboration published a survey on baryon acoustic oscillations, finding violations of the Lambda-CDM cosmological model within 4 standard deviations. The survey suggested stronger universal acceleration in the early universe, potentially indicating the presence of phantom energy.
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| 2024 |
Largest cosmic structures
Big Ring was discovered, a cosmic structure made up of galaxy clusters spanning 1.3 billion light-years.
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| 2024 |
Dwarf galaxy problem
Discoveries indicate that the number of satellite galaxies around the Milky Way might be around 500, challenging previous simulations that predicted fewer galaxies.
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| 2024 |
Dwarf galaxy problem
Construction of the Vera C. Rubin Observatory is completed, which is expected to conduct wide field surveys to help scientists better understand the dwarf galaxy problem through future sky observations.
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| 2023 |
Largest cosmic structures
Ho'oleilana Bubble was identified, containing about 56,000 galaxies and located 820 million light-years away, spanning 1 billion light-years.
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| 2023 |
Cosmological theories
Astrophysicists questioned the Standard Model of Cosmology based on latest James Webb Space Telescope studies, challenging the current understanding of the universe.
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| June 28 2023 |
Gravitational wave background
North American Nanohertz Observatory for Gravitational Waves collaboration announced evidence for a Gravitational Wave Background (GWB), with supporting observations from EPTA, Parkes Observatory, and Chinese Pulsar Timing Array (CPTA). This provided the first measurement of the Hellings-Downs curve, a key indicator of gravitational wave origin.
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| February 2023 |
Dark energy
Researchers from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa formulated a new theory proposing that black holes gain mass as the universe expands, potentially explaining dark energy through a concept called 'cosmological coupling'.
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| 2022 |
Largest cosmic structures
King Ghidorah Supercluster was discovered, the most massive galaxy supercluster to date, consisting of at least 15 clusters and interconnected filaments.
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| 2022 |
Dwarf galaxy problem
Density profile studies suggested that dwarf galaxies have a constant-density core, which contradicts dark matter simulations that predicted lower baryon density.
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| December 2022 |
Intracluster medium
The James Webb Space Telescope began studying the faint light emitted in the intracluster medium, advancing our understanding of its properties and composition.
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| 2021 |
Largest cosmic structures
The 'Giant Arc' was discovered, located 9.2 billion light-years away and spanning 3.3 billion light-years.
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| 2021 |
Dark energy
A group of researchers argued that observations of the Hubble tension may imply that only quintessence models with a nonzero coupling constant are viable.
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| 2021 |
Cosmological constant problem
Nikita Blinov and Patrick Draper confirm through the holographic principle that the CKN bound predicts the measured cosmological constant while maintaining effective field theory predictions.
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| 2021 |
Cosmological theories
James Webb Space Telescope was launched, providing new capabilities for advanced cosmological observations.
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| July 2021 |
Universe
LiveScience published an article stating there are approximately 10^82 atoms in the observable universe, providing a quantitative perspective on the universe's scale.
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| July 2021 |
Universe
LiveScience reported that there are approximately 1082 atoms in the observable universe, providing a significant insight into the scale of cosmic matter.
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| 2020 | A measurement of a unique MOND (Modified Newtonian Dynamics) effect was recorded, offering another alternative explanation to dark matter. |
| 2020 |
Largest cosmic structures
South Pole Wall was discovered, the largest contiguous feature in the local volume, spanning 1.37 billion light-years and located at the celestial South Pole.
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| 2020 |
Cosmological theories
Scientists reported verification of measurements from 2011-2014 indicating potential spatial variation in the fine-structure constant, challenging assumptions about the isotropy of the Universe and suggesting possible directionality in natural constants.
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| 2020 |
Cosmological theories
Physicist Lucas Lombriser proposed a method to reconcile different measurements of the Hubble constant by suggesting a surrounding 'bubble' with different density.
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| 2020 |
Cosmological theories
Scientists published a study suggesting the Universe might not be expanding uniformly in all directions, challenging the long-accepted isotropy hypothesis by examining galaxy clusters in X-rays.
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| 2019 | Observations of Andromeda showed a lack of microlensing effects, suggesting tiny black holes do not exist in significant numbers. |
| 2019 |
Accelerating expansion of the universe
A research paper analyzed the Joint Light-curve Analysis catalog of Type Ia supernovas, containing ten times more data than the 1998 analyses, questioning the evidence for isotropic acceleration across the universe.
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| 2019 |
Cosmological theories
The Event Horizon Telescope Collaboration published the first-ever image of a black hole at the center of the M87 Galaxy, verifying Einstein's general theory of relativity.
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| May 2019 | LiteBIRD was selected by the Japanese space agency as the finalist for Japan's second Large-Class Mission, beating OKEANOS in the selection process. |
| May 2019 |
Universe
Forbes published an article discussing the impossibility of knowing everything about the universe, highlighting the inherent limitations of human knowledge about cosmic phenomena.
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| 2018 |
Largest cosmic structures
Hyperion proto-supercluster was discovered, identified as the largest and earliest known proto-supercluster spanning 489 million light-years.
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| 2018 |
Cosmological constant problem
A mechanism for cancelling the cosmological constant (Λ) is proposed using a symmetry breaking potential in a Lagrangian formalism, where standard matter's pressure counterbalances the cosmological constant's action.
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| 2018 |
Shape of the universe
Planck mission released final results showing the cosmological curvature parameter, providing evidence consistent with a flat universe.
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| 2018 |
Dark energy
Oztas et al. developed a model examining the potential evolution of dark energy parameters.
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| 2018 |
Age of the universe
The Planck Collaboration updated its estimate for the age of the universe, providing a refined measurement of the universe's age.
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| 2018 |
Reionization
Planck mission results yielded an instantaneous reionization redshift of z = 7.68 ± 0.79, providing a more precise measurement of the cosmic reionization period.
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| 2018 |
Intracluster medium
A study found the intracluster medium to be an 'accurate luminous tracer of dark matter', providing significant insights into the composition of galaxy clusters.
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| 2018 |
Cosmological constant problem
Luongo and Muccino propose a mechanism for cancelling the cosmological constant using a symmetry breaking potential, suggesting that standard matter can counterbalance the vacuum energy.
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| July 2018 |
Kaluza–Klein theory
A research article challenges the theory of gravity leaking into higher dimensions while supporting the shared dimensional nature of electromagnetism and gravity, lending partial credence to Kaluza-Klein theory.
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| 2016 | A test of gravitational lensing in entropic gravity provided a scattered success for alternative hypotheses to dark matter. |
| 2016 |
Largest cosmic structures
BOSS Great Wall was identified, a structure consisting of 4 superclusters of galaxies with mass and volume exceeding the Sloan Great Wall.
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| 2016 |
Cosmological theories
LIGO Scientific Collaboration and Virgo Collaboration directly detected gravitational waves, capturing the merger of two black holes and opening a new branch of gravitational-wave astronomy.
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| February 11 2016 |
Gravitational wave background
LIGO and Virgo collaborations officially announced the first direct detection and observation of gravitational waves from the September 2015 event.
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| 2015 | Gravitational wave measurements detected the merger of intermediate-mass black holes, which increased interest in primordial black holes as a potential dark matter explanation. |
| 2015 |
Largest cosmic structures
Giant GRB Ring was discovered through gamma-ray burst mapping, identified as the largest-known regular formation in the observable universe at 5.6 billion light-years.
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| 2015 |
Age of the universe
The Planck Collaboration estimated the age of the universe, producing a slightly higher but statistically consistent estimate compared to the earlier WMAP data, within 68% confidence limits for the base ΛCDM model.
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| September 2015 |
Gravitational wave background
First direct detection of gravitational waves from a collision of two black holes, marking a significant milestone in gravitational wave research.
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| 2014 |
Largest cosmic structures
Hercules–Corona Borealis Great Wall was discovered through gamma-ray burst mapping, spanning 9.7-10 billion light-years.
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| 2014 |
Cosmological theories
BICEP2 collaboration initially announced detection of inflationary gravitational waves, though confidence was lowered in June of the same year.
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This contents of the box above is based on material from the Wikipedia articles Dwarf galaxy problem, Timeline of cosmological theories, Dark energy, Michael Friedman (philosopher), Cosmological constant problem, Dark matter, Kaluza–Klein theory, Gravitational wave background, Intracluster medium, Universe, Accelerating expansion of the universe, Shape of the universe, Reionization, LiteBIRD, Age of the universe, Phantom energy & List of largest cosmic structures, which are released under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.