2 publishers · first seen Tue, 27 Oct 2026 09:48 UTC · updated Thu, 29 Oct 2026 10:41 UTC
Scientists have released Lumina, the most detailed simulation of the early universe to date, modeling 2 billion years of cosmic evolution after the Big Bang. Developed by researchers at the Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian, the simulation tracks the formation of the first galaxies, the behavior of dark matter, and the effects of radiation, including helium reionization, across a volume spanning 1.5 billion light-years per side. It was run using over 15,000 graphics processing units on the Frontier supercomputer at Oak Ridge National Laboratory and published in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.
Lumina aims to help astronomers interpret data from telescopes like the James Webb Space Telescope and the Nancy Roman Space Telescope by providing high-resolution predictions of early cosmic processes. By comparing observations with the simulation, scientists can test current theories of galaxy formation and identify potential gaps in understanding. The project marks a significant advance in modeling both large-scale structure and small-scale phenomena such as star and black hole formation within the same framework.
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