The Lumina simulation models a cosmic volume spanning roughly 1.6 billion light-years to trace the re-ionization process that cleared early neutral gas. The universe initially entered darkness roughly 380,000 years after the Big Bang when neutral hydrogen formed and absorbed ultraviolet light. Researchers discovered that while ultraviolet rays from the first stars stripped electrons from hydrogen, actively feeding supermassive black holes drove the separate ionization of helium.
Key points
Lumina is the first simulation to capture both hydrogen and helium re-ionization occurrin…: Lumina is the first simulation to capture both hydrogen and helium re-ionization occurring simultaneously in the early universe.
The project covers a cosmic volume 100 times larger than any previous leading simulation…: The project covers a cosmic volume 100 times larger than any previous leading simulation of its kind.
The research establishes that early stars and supermassive black holes served as distinct…: The research establishes that early stars and supermassive black holes served as distinct engines driving the clearance of cosmic gas.
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A massive new supercomputer simulation reveals how the first stars, galaxies, and black holes helped bring the universe out of its cosmic dark age.
- Date:
- November 11, 2026
- Source:
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- Summary:
- A groundbreaking new supercomputer simulation is revealing how the universe escaped its cosmic dark age and transformed into a cosmos filled with stars and galaxies. Called Lumina, it recreates 2 billion years of early cosmic history across a region 1.6 billion light-years wide, capturing extraordinary details that previous simulations could not.
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A powerful new computer simulation is allowing scientists to explore one of the most mysterious periods in cosmic history, when the universe emerged from darkness and the first stars and galaxies began to transform the cosmos.
Developed by researchers at MIT, Harvard University, and other institutions, the simulation, called Lumina, recreates the evolution of the early universe across a region roughly 1.6 billion light-years wide. It follows 2 billion years of cosmic history, revealing how galaxies formed, how radiation spread through space, and how the universe gradually…
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