See a new map of the universe’s magnetic fields – the largest and most detailed ever made

CSIRO/Alec Thomson et al. (magnetic fields)/Alex Cherney (photo)/Sam Moorfield (composite)

Magnetic fields are a fundamental part of the universe. They govern how small particles – the building blocks of planets, stars, and ultimately galaxies – move through space.

We still don’t know how magnetic fields came to exist in the universe, but we do know they’re everywhere. Earth itself has a magnetic field that compasses and migrating birds respond to.