Five cool things about our Cosmology & Astronomy research

Research at Durham isn't just confined to life here on Earth. From learning about quasars to understanding the Cosmic Web, our cosmologists and astronomers are helping to unravel the mysteries of the universe. We're involved in some of the world's biggest projects to develop new telescopes that will give us an even clearer picture of space. Back on Earth, we're even using space technology to help save the humble coffee plant. Here are just five examples of the exciting work we're doing: 1. Revealing quasars' true colours Red or blue? Highly energetic quasars can appear to be both with scientists believing that their colour depends on the angle of our line-of-sight. However, our astronomers have shown that red quasars are likely to be the result of a brief, but violent, phase in the evolution of galaxies when black holes eject large amounts of energy into the surrounding dust and gas.