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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
National
Petra Stock

This cosmic map of magnetic fields could help illuminate one of the universe’s most mysterious forces

The CSIRO used its ASKAP radio telescope to map magnetic fields, illustrated in blue and red.
The CSIRO used its ASKAP radio telescope to map magnetic fields, illustrated in red (pointing towards Earth) and blue (pointing away). Photograph: CSIRO/Alec Thomson et al./Alex Cherney/Sam Moorfield

A cosmic map of magnetic fields – the largest ever produced – could help scientists delve into one of the major and most mysterious forces in the universe.

A global team led by Australia’s national science agency, the CSIRO charted the magnetic fields by measuring light from nearly 4m galaxies as it twisted and travelled through intergalactic space.

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