J. M. Diego

Light from the distant Dragon Galaxy has been traveling toward us for more than seven billion years. On its way, it passes by a huge galaxy cluster whose gravity bends the path of light like a lens. As a result, the galaxy appears brighter and larger than it really is, just as a magnifying glass enlarges fine print.

The Universe was born in the Big Bang and almost instantly passed through a phase of inflation — an ultra-fast expansion that blew up microscopic regions to cosmological scales.

Throughout the last century, cosmology measured the universe's expansion rate using supernovae, redshifts, and the cosmic microwave background.