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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Science
Ian Sample Science editor

Astronomers observe time dilation in early universe

Scientists have unlocked the secrets of quasars to use them as ‘clocks’ to measure time near the beginning of the universe.
Scientists have unlocked the secrets of quasars to use them as ‘clocks’ to measure time near the beginning of the universe. Photograph: Adobe Stock

Astronomers have watched the distant universe running in slow motion, marking the first time that the weird effect predicted by Einstein more than a century ago has been observed in the early cosmos.

The scientists found that events appeared to unfold five times slower when the universe was a mere 1bn years old, or about a tenth of its present age, because of the way the expansion of the universe stretches time.

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