Vivienne Wild

A galaxy is like a city where no new houses are being built. Stars are no longer born there, and the old buildings tell you when construction was bustling. Astronomers peered into 14 such 'ghost towns' on the edge of the visible universe: their light has been traveling to us for 11–12 billion years.

A potter sits down at the wheel, and the first movements of the hands set the fate of the future vessel. If the lump of clay stays flat and wide, it will spin for a long time, gaining mass and heat. If the potter squeezes it into a dense ball, the wheel slows down and the piece hardens quickly.