Skip to main content

Latest News

Working to answer the ultimate question – are we alone in the Universe?

Dr Cyril Bourgenot from our Centre for Advanced Instrumentation is part of a team developing cutting-edge technology to enable astronomers to look deeper into the Universe. He is presenting this work as part of the Royal Astronomical Society’s National Astronomy Meeting 2025, which is being hosted by Durham University this week. Here, Cyril tells us about his work and how it could help answer the ultimate astronomical question – is there life elsewhere.
Keck Observatory in Hawaii, taken at night with lasers shining into the sky

Bright young stars light up UK's National Astronomy Meeting

Young people are at the centre of a major national conference bringing some of the world's finest scientists to the region.
Three young people smile at the camera holding drawings they have made of rocket ships

National Astronomy Meeting 2025 – discover our free public events

We’re celebrating our role as hosts of the UK’s leading astronomy conference next week (7-11 July) with a series of free events for the public to enjoy.
A single decker bus spray painted with images of space and featuring a satellite dish on its roof is parked in a dusty, moon-like landscape.

National Astronomy Meeting 2025 - exploring Durham’s rich astronomical research

Almost a thousand of the world’s top space scientists will visit Durham University next week (7 to 11 July) as we host the UK’s National Astronomy Meeting (NAM) 2025.
Two people looking up at a dark, starry sky.

New ‘mini halo’ discovery deepens our understanding of how the early Universe was formed

Astronomers have uncovered a vast cloud of energetic particles surrounding one of the most distant galaxy clusters ever observed, marking a major step forward in understanding the hidden forces that shape the cosmos.
The mini-halo depicted in tones of pink and blue in a dark starry sky

‘World-class’ research showcased during Europe-wide summit

The global impact of our research has been highlighted during a visit by the European Research Council Scientific Council.
A man pointing to some scientific equipment, as he speaks with two women

Durham scientists play key role in global space survey as first Rubin Observatory images released

Scientists from our top-rated Physics department are playing a major role in the world’s most ambitious space project, the Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST), led by the Vera C. Rubin Observatory.
NSF-DOE Rubin Trifid and Lagoon nebulas 25k pixels wide

ERC Spotlight: Professor Simon Cornish and global milestones in quantum physics

We will host the European Research Council's (ERC) Scientific Council Meeting this June. Leading up to the visit, we are highlighting some of the projects at Durham that are happening thanks to support from the ERC.
Professor Simon Cornish is pictured against the background of Durham Cathedral in the distance

The Rochester Lecture 2025 will be delivered by Nobel Prize Laureate Prof. Anne L'Huillier

When an intense laser interacts with a gas of atoms, high-order harmonics are generated. In the time domain, this radiation forms a train of extremely short light pulses, of the order of 100 attoseconds. Attosecond pulses allow the study of the dynamics of electrons in atoms and molecules, using pump-probe techniques. Anne L'Huillier's lecture will highlight some of the key steps of the field of attosecond science. Her talk is titled 'The Route to Attosecond Light Pulses'.
Photo of Anne L'Hullier stood beneath a tree in autumn colours

New study casts doubt on the likelihood of Milky Way collision with Andromeda

New research has cast doubt on the long-held theory that our galaxy, the Milky Way, will collide with its largest neighbour, the Andromeda galaxy, in 4.5 billion years-time.
A graphic depicting a collision between Milky Way and Andromeda

Prestigious award for physicist exploring the dawn of the Universe

Congratulations to Professor Ryan Cooke from our Department of Physics who is the joint recipient of the 2025 Gruber Foundation Cosmology Prize.
Professor Ryan Cook looking straight to camera and smiling. He is stood in front of shelves of books.

Space mission discovers ‘bullet-like’ winds shooting from a supermassive black hole

Researchers have discovered that ultra-fast wind surrounding a supermassive black hole is not smooth and continuous as previously assumed, but instead resembles a rapid-fire stream of gas ‘bullets’.
An artist’s impression of high-speed winds, illustrated in white, being ejected from the vicinity of a supermassive black hole.
Cosmic Ray Cosmo Simulation

Read more news

Explore science news from around the University

More stories