Our physics research delves into the origins of the Moon and galaxies – and now people can have a go at shaping the cosmos themselves.
Our hands-on exhibit, Universe Makers, will feature at the prestigious Royal Society Summer Exhibition 2026 held in London.
Led by our Institute for Computational Cosmology, Universe Makers will give people the chance to virtually create their own galaxies or Universe.
Visitors can also crash planets into each other to make their own moons.
This will all be delivered by our staff and students working with colleagues at Imperial, Portsmouth and Sussex universities at the event from 30 June to 5 July.
Universe Makers allows people to play with the ingredients that make up the Universe.
They can tweak the amount of gravity or dark matter – the mysterious force that provides the structure of the Universe – and see how this impacts star and galaxy formation.
They can also alter the angle and speed of planets as they collide in the early Universe to see if they can produce a moon which looks like the one we see in the night sky.
The exhibit also includes a “galaxy sandpit” where 3D printed objects are hidden beneath sand.
Each object found features a picture of the night sky representing a different component of the Milky Way, like young stars and spiral arms, to show how astronomers piece together our galaxy’s structure.
Durham is one of the world’s leading centres of cosmology and astronomy research.
Using the COSMA 8 supercomputer, our cosmologists simulate the birth of moons and planets and the wider Universe.
Our astronomers then compare the simulations to their observations of the real Universe.
This helps them to understand the conditions that led to the formation of the Universe and its component parts like stars, planets and galaxies.
Ultimately it could tell us what the fate of the Universe might be.
Have a go at making your own Universe, galaxy or moon with Universe Makers.
Discover more about the Universe Makers exhibit at the Royal Society Summer Exhibition.
Learn more about astronomy, cosmology and advanced instrumentation at Durham.
Science Engagement at Durham University.
Our Department of Physics is ranked joint 67th in the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2026 and fourth in the UK in the Complete University Guide 2027. Visit our Physics webpages for more information on our undergraduate and postgraduate programmes.
Our Institute for Computational Cosmology hosts COSMA 8 on behalf of the DiRAC High Performance Computing Facility. COSMA 8 is funded by UK Research and Innovation, administered by the UK’s Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC).
Banner image: A montage of images from the simulations behind Universe Makers. L-R:
A visualisation of a 3D SPH simulation of a giant impact onto the early Earth that could explain the origin of the Moon immediately after the collision. Credit: Jacob Kegerreis
Simulated images of different types of galaxies from a section of the "Hubble Tuning Fork. Credit: COLIBRE.
The distribution of dark matter in the Universe as predicted by the COLIBRE simulation. Through gravitational collapse, dark matter assembles into a “cosmic web”-like structure made of voids and filaments. At the intersection of filaments are dark matter “haloes”, which are the sites where galaxies like the Milky Way form. Credit: COLIBRE.
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