The Universe also knows how to be terrifying at times. The cosmos contains many objects, and several of them have particular shapes that have not escaped the watchful eye of astrophysicists. So much so that some names assigned by scientists reflect some of the most ingrained fears in human culture.

For 4.5 billion years, the Moon has accompanied the Earth as a natural satellite. Looking at the sky and observing it has become a habit, as if the Moon were an immutable and familiar object, an eternal partner of our planet. However, what would happen if it were to disappear? The Moon is larger a

1I/Oumuamua is a small body of interstellar origin discovered on October 19, 2017. As the first object identified from beyond the Solar System, and given its very unusual shape, it does not ceased to capture the attention of scientists. Several hypotheses on its origin have been put forward, some in

In 2016, the LIGO collaboration announced the first detection of gravitational waves predicted 100 years earlier by Einstein in his theory of general relativity. These waves were emitted during the merger of two black holes, the mass of the final black hole being less than the sum of the masses of t

The Universe is full of objects, each more amazing than the next. Among the stars, planets, black holes or even nebulae, it is also possible to come across giant molecular clouds of alcohol. At 6500 light years from Earth, there is a somewhat special region since it contains a giant molecular clou

As with the objects that inhabit it, scientists have looked into the question of whether it is possible to determine certain properties of the universe, such as its temperature or its shape. But some astrophysicists have also wondered about the possibility of determining more original characteristic

The study of the distribution of matter and, more generally, of the large structures of the Universe, is an important field in cosmology, because it makes it possible to better constrain the theoretical models describing the evolution and dynamics of our universe, but also to understand how it is gl

NASAs New Horizons probe, which has already provided us with superb shots of Pluto, has just awakened, about 6 billion kilometers from Earth. The probe is currently moving through the Kuiper Belt and preparing for a thrilling mission, slated for New Years Day:the first-ever flyby of the Kuiper Bel

While there is currently no concrete evidence to suggest the existence of extraterrestrial civilizations, humans have nevertheless begun to develop protocols aimed at managing detection and potential first contact with one of them. Called post-detection protocols (PDD), these sets of rules and guide

The auroras are among the most spectacular and enchanting light phenomena taking place on Earth. Behind the beauty of these colorful veils hides the defense mechanism deployed by our planet to resist the solar winds that relentlessly assail our atmosphere. The polar aurora, called aurora borealis

For several years, thanks in particular to the sophistication of onboard analysis and observation instruments, astrobiology has been a booming field. More and more automated devices (probes, rovers) carry biochemical study instruments with the aim of detecting biosignatures, that is to say elements

Black holes are among the most mysterious objects in the cosmos. Although their existence is no longer debated within the scientific community, the impossibility of directly observing them sometimes makes their representation complicated. In particular, scientists have wondered about the true shape

The expansion of the Universe refers to the phenomenon of recession (removal) of distant objects and is interpreted as a dilation of space between these objects over large distances (galaxies and clusters of galaxies). Solution to the equations of general relativity, highlighted by the physicist Ale

Dark matter and dark energy are two of the most important enigmas of modern cosmology. Dominating the Universe, these two cosmic components still elude scientists. If the latter wonder about their nature, their origin is also the subject of active research. The various observation missions carried

Theoretical models, supplemented by observations made in recent years, now allow cosmologists to constrain the size of the observable Universe relatively faithfully. Beyond this limit, the Universe continues to expand, but remains inaccessible to our instruments. Despite this unknown, it is possible

Predicted by general relativity in 1916, then experimentally confirmed in 2015, gravitational waves have allowed astrophysics to enter a new era of observation of the cosmos. Instruments like LIGO, Virgo and soon KAGRA and IndIGO, constantly scan the sky in search of these space-time ripples. But ho

At the end of the Big Bang, about 13.8 billion years ago, the primordial universe was plunged into darkness. Matter forms a “soup” so dense that it constitutes a veritable prison for photons, which therefore cannot yet travel freely. Then, 380,000 years later, the state of matter changes and light c

The observable universe contains a wide variety of different bodies, from asteroids to galaxies, including planets and stars. Most of these bodies form gravitational arrangements, configurations in which these bodies are related to each other. Although galaxies are considered the largest objects in

The study of the evolution of the universe has always been a very active subject of research. Whether about its past, present or future, these questions are at the heart of modern cosmology. However, if theories like the Big Bang give scientists insight into the beginnings of the universe, are the

The study of the evolution and future of the universe is one of the main challenges of todays cosmology. Despite the fact that the riddle of the birth of the universe is not yet solved, this does not prevent scientists from also looking into its fate. In a previous article, Trust My Science describe