Popular science articles
The galaxy cluster Abell 370 contains hundreds of galaxies. Their combined mass is so large that it deforms space, acting as a gravitational lens that magnifies and distorts the light from distant background galaxies.
Image credit: NASA, ESA, and J. Lotz and the HFF Team (STScI).
Look up in May: The Moon meets Mars, and the stars cluster together
What can you see on the stellar sky in May?
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Look up in December: See the stars' temperature with your own eyes
What can you see on the stellar sky in December?
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Look up in july: A new star flares up in the sky — see it with your own eyes
Can we see galaxies move away from us faster than the speed of light?
My favorite fact about the Universe: In contrast to what many think, galaxies can not only recede faster than the speed of light, but we can also see them!
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How fast does the Universe expand?
![A crowded field of galaxies throngs this Picture of the Month from the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope, along with bright stars crowned with Webb’s signature six-pointed diffraction spikes. The large spiral galaxy at the base of this image is accompanied by a profusion of smaller, more distant galaxies which range from fully-fledged spirals to mere bright smudges. Named LEDA 2046648, it is situated a little over a billion light-years from Earth, in the constellation Hercules. One of Webb’s principle science goals is to observe distant — and hence ancient — galaxies to understand the details of their formation, evolution, and composition. Webb’s keen infrared vision helps the telescope peer back in time, as the light from older, more distant galaxies is redshifted towards infrared wavelengths. Comparing these galactic fossils to modern galaxies will help astronomers understand how galaxies grew to form the structures we see in the universe today. Webb will also probe the chemical composition of thousands of galaxies to shed light on how heavy elements were formed and built up as galaxies evolved. To take full advantage of Webb’s potential for galaxy archeology, astronomers and engineers must first calibrate the telescope’s instruments and systems. Each of Webb’s instruments contains a labyrinthine array of mirrors and other optical elements that redirect and focus starlight gathered by Webb’s main mirror. This particular observation was part of the commissioning campaign for Webb’s Near-InfraRed Imager and Slitless Spectrograph (NIRISS). As well as performing science in its own right, NIRISS supports parallel observations with Webb’s Near-InfraRed Camera (NIRCam). NIRCam captured this galaxy-studded image while NIRISS was observing the white dwarf WD1657+343, a well-studied star. This allows astronomers to interpret and compare data from the two different instruments, and to characterise the performance of NIRISS. [Image description: Many stars and galaxies lie on a dark background, in a variety of colours but mostly shades of orange. Some galaxies are large enough to make out spiral arms. Along the bottom of the frame is a large, detailed spiral galaxy seen at an oblique angle, with another galaxy about one-quarter the size just beneath it. Both have a brightly glowing core, and areas of star formation which light up their spiral arms.] Links Wider view of LEDA 2046648](https://cosmicdawn.dk/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/leda-2046648-scaled.jpg "A Spiral Amongst Thousands")
Cosmological crisis: The Universe is expanding, but astronomers disagree on how fast.
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With James Webb back to the edge of time itself.
Danish physics students solves black-hole-mystery
Massive objects curves space. Black holes, being particularly compact, curve space so much that light rays may orbit them. DAWN student Albert Sneppen developed a mathematical description of this effect, explained here in a popular way.
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Models reveal galaxy's fascinating evolution
What exactly do astronomers do? Anybody can look through a telescope, so being a astronomer must require more than that. As astronomers, we compare what we see in telescopes to mathematical models that describe the objects we observe. Dive into the art of galaxy modeling.
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How are galaxies formed?
How are the magnificent collections of gas, stars, dark matter, and more created? Learn how in this step-by-step guide to galaxy formation.
Published first in Danish on videnskab.dk, later in English on ScienceNordic.com.
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What is a galaxy?
Galaxies are at the heart of DAWN's research. But what are they actually, what are they made of, and which different types exist?
Published first in Danish on videnskab.dk, later in English on ScienceNordic.com.
The Big Bang — an eyewitness account
What would you experience if you were present during the first 15 minutes after the creation of the Universe?
Published first in Danish on videnskab.dk, later in English on ScienceNordic.com and Norwegian on forskning.no.
Awarded best Danish public outreach on Forskerzonen in 2019.
Kilonovae and the origin of gold
A kilonova is the result of a collision between two neutron stars or a neutron star and a black hole, producing precious metals such as gold, silver and platinum.
Published in KVANT. Available upon request.
Science and religion
What is the world? What is a human? What is God?
