The universe is constantly being created—and destroyed. Discover how these processes work, and how they may hold clues to how the universe began.
Universe Topics
More About the Universe
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Origins of the Universe
Details of the big bang are obscured by billions of years of cosmic history. But high-tech orbiting telescopes are lifting the veil on our universe's formative years.
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Supernovae
Supernovae occur when large stars collapse, ejecting plumes of gas, dust, and energy. Scientists study the remnants of these blasts for clues about the life and death of stars.
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Nebulae
Humans have studied nebulae for centuries. But space-based and infrared telescopes that can cut through the dust are casting these cosmic cloud formations in a whole new light.
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Photo Gallery: Galaxies
Space-based telescopes have revealed the complex and beautiful details of thousands of our universe's far-flung galaxies.
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2012 Emerging Explorers
ScienceBlogs Picks
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Jane Goodall
Over the course of 50 years Jane has witnessed the lives of three generations of chimpanzees.
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Explorer Moment
Ed Viesturs shares an early morning view from Everest.
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File "/nas/ngdm/wpf/src/layout/models.py", line 843, in standard_render
return template.render(new_context)
File "/nas/ngdm/wpf/parts/project-live/django/template/__init__.py", line 165, in render
return self.nodelist.render(context)
File "/nas/ngdm/wpf/parts/project-live/django/template/__init__.py", line 784, in render
bits.append(self.render_node(node, context))
File "/nas/ngdm/wpf/parts/project-live/django/template/__init__.py", line 797, in render_node
return node.render(context)
File "/nas/ngdm/wpf/parts/project-live/django/template/defaulttags.py", line 240, in render
return self.nodelist_true.render(context)
File "/nas/ngdm/wpf/parts/project-live/django/template/__init__.py", line 784, in render
bits.append(self.render_node(node, context))
File "/nas/ngdm/wpf/parts/project-live/django/template/__init__.py", line 797, in render_node
return node.render(context)
File "/nas/ngdm/wpf/parts/project-live/django/template/defaulttags.py", line 240, in render
return self.nodelist_true.render(context)
File "/nas/ngdm/wpf/parts/project-live/django/template/__init__.py", line 784, in render
bits.append(self.render_node(node, context))
File "/nas/ngdm/wpf/parts/project-live/django/template/__init__.py", line 797, in render_node
return node.render(context)
File "/nas/ngdm/wpf/parts/project-live/django/template/defaulttags.py", line 154, in render
nodelist.append(node.render(context))
File "/nas/ngdm/wpf/parts/project-live/django/template/__init__.py", line 836, in render
return _render_value_in_context(output, context)
File "/nas/ngdm/wpf/parts/project-live/django/template/__init__.py", line 816, in _render_value_in_context
value = force_unicode(value)
File "/nas/ngdm/wpf/parts/project-live/django/utils/encoding.py", line 93, in force_unicode
raise DjangoUnicodeDecodeError(s, *e.args)
DjangoUnicodeDecodeError: 'utf8' codec can't decode byte 0x8a in position 1: unexpected code byte. You passed in 'f\x8a&' (
National Geographic Magazine
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Longevity Pictures
Our genes harbor many secrets to a long and healthy life. And now scientists are beginning to uncover them
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Element Hunters Pictures
All the elements found in nature—the different kinds of atoms—were found long ago. To bag a new one these days, and push the frontiers of matter, you have to create it first.
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Good Gas, Bad Gas
Burn natural gas and it warms your house. But let it leak, from fracked wells or the melting Arctic, and it warms the whole planet.
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Jane Goodall
Over the course of 50 years Jane has witnessed the lives of three generations of chimpanzees.
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Explorer Moment
Ed Viesturs shares an early morning view from Everest.