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Physics

We may be able to find magnetic fields from the start of the universe

By Jason Arunn Murugesu

11 December 2020

Magnetic fields

Magnetic fields around the Milky Way could shed new light on the big bang

NASA/SOFIA; Star field image: NASA/Hubble Space Telescope

Astronomers are on the hunt for magnetic fields in our galaxy that were born in the very early universe, because they could provide a new way to study the big bang.

“We’re not solving the puzzle of these fields but we’re kind of opening that door,” says Sergio Martin-Alvarez at the University of Cambridge.

Magnetic fields are thought to play an important role in star formation within galaxies, and the Milky Way is home to …

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