IN SHORT Gran Telescopio de Canarias: Primary mirror with a diameter of 10.4 meters. European Extremely Large Telescope (ELT): Expected to open in 2027 with a mirror of 39 meters. Very Large Telescope (VLT): Flagship equipment of European astronomy. Southern African Large Telescope (SALT): Mirror of 11.1 meters. Schmidt Telescopes: Used for photographic astrometry. Large … Read more
IN BRIEF Primordial nucleosynthesis: Formation of the first atoms after the Big Bang. Timing: Approximately 380,000 years after the Big Bang. Elements formed: Mainly hydrogen and helium. First molecule: The ion HeH+, possibly the first molecule. Conditions: Initial temperatures around 10^9 K. Electrons and atoms: Electrons combine with nuclei to form atoms. In the vastness … Read more
IN BRIEF Satellite Planck launched in 2009 by the European Space Agency. Objective: to map the anisotropies of the cosmic radiation. Discovery of a supercluster of galaxies through its imprint on the cosmic background radiation. Analysis of the cosmic microwave background, light emitted 380,000 years after the Big Bang. Onboard instruments: Low Frequency Instrument (LFI) … Read more
IN BRIEF Cosmic time: central concept in cosmology to model the universe. History of objects: each element of the universe has its own temporal journey. Cosmological models: assume uniformity and isotropy of the universe. Coordination of events: necessary interaction between time and space to structure the universe. General relativity: revolutionized the perception of time in … Read more
IN BRIEF Dark energy: makes up about 68% of the Universe. Accelerates the expansion of the Universe due to its repulsive nature. Dark matter and dark energy: two great mysteries of astrophysics. Recent progress shows that the expansion of the Universe is faster than expected. Use of telescopes like Hubble and Euclid to study these … Read more
IN BRIEF Dark matter makes up about 85% of the mass of the Universe. It is invisible and undetectable, making its study complex. Represents one of the biggest mysteries of modern cosmology. Its existence is necessary to explain the movement of galaxies. Theories like modified gravity attempt to unravel this mystery. Less than 5% of … Read more
IN BRIEF Big Bang: Cosmological model on the origin of the Universe. Describes the evolution of the Universe from a dense and homogeneous state. Observational evidence, such as the cosmic microwave background. Explained by the abundance of primordial helium. Diverse data sources corroborate the theory. Scientific consensus on the birth of the Universe from the … Read more
IN BRIEF Modern Astronomy: study of celestial objects and their properties. Galileo: pioneer who laid the foundations of modern science. Universal Gravitation: discovery integrating different physical approaches. Atomic Physics: fundamental for understanding the Universe. Astronomical Observations: keys to exploring other planets and life. Links between Physics and Astronomy: unification of disciplines to explain the origin … Read more
IN SHORT Quantum physics and cosmology emerged in the early 20th century. Quantum cosmology describes the early moments of the Universe. The concept of quantum multiverse suggests an infinity of universes. Quantum gravity raises many questions about the nature of the Universe. Big Bang and particle physics: essential links. Projects on loop quantum cosmology are … Read more
IN BRIEF String theory: fundamental theoretical framework in physics. The fundamental objects are vibrating strings. Elementary particles correspond to the different vibrations of the strings. Famous for its ambition to be the “theory of everything”, unifying the forces of nature. Involves 11 dimensions in certain formulations. A necessary popularization to make science accessible. Exploration of … Read more