Durham researchers are pushing the boundaries of physics research, contributing to major advances in our understanding of the Universe.
Our scientists are shaping global space missions, building key instruments, and uncovering new cosmic phenomena.
Durham also hosted the UK's National Astronomy Meeting in 2025, attracting nearly 1,000 space scientists from around the world.
Mapping the cosmos and beyond
Our researchers are part of a UK-led team exploring designs for a core imaging instrument for NASA's Habitable Worlds Observatory.
This is the first mission which will be built to find and study Earth-like planets beyond our Solar System.
Durham's work focuses on high-resolution cameras that could measure planet masses and detect atmospheric signs of water, oxygen or methane.
In Chile, the 4MOST telescope - with significant Durham involvement - captured first light, marking a new era in large-scale spectroscopic surveys.
The instrument simultaneously records spectra from thousands of stars and galaxies, revealing their chemical make-up and motion.
Celebrated global astronomy collaborations
The DESI (Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument) team, in which Durham scientists play a leading role, won the 2026 Berkeley Prize for outstanding contributions to astronomy.
DESI's massive 3D cosmic maps are reshaping how we understand dark energy and the evolution of the Universe.
Durham also contributes to the Vera Rubin Observatory's Legacy Survey of Space and Time, helping manage its vast data and leading global efforts to track black holes and dark matter.
Meanwhile, a major study using Hubble and Gaia data challenged the long-held theory that the Milky Way will collide with its largest neighbour, the Andromeda galaxy, in 4.5 billion years' time.
Simulations carried out by our physicists revealed only a small chance of such a merger in the next 5 billion years, with many scenarios seeing both galaxies continuing undisturbed.
Science showcased at National Astronomy Meeting 2025
We welcomed hundreds of global space experts to Durham when we hosted NAM 2025 (National Astronomy Meeting).
Researchers presented cutting-edge work across the whole of astronomy and cosmology.
This included new insights on how galaxies grow, the nature of the universe, and the physics of growing black holes.
The conference theme of community encapsulated the broader engagement ethos of NAM 2025 and involved school students, community groups, industry, artists and the general public through talks, workshops, exhibitions and outreach events.
Main image shows the Millennium Simulation: The largest and most realistic simulation ever of the growth of cosmic structure and the formation of galaxies and quasars. Millennium was the first supercomputer simulation that followed the dark matter evolution in a representative patch of the universe with enough detail to resolve the dark matter clumps or "halos'' in which galaxies form. Credit: The Virgo Consortium.
