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Our Universe Revealed, Part 2: The Dim and Deserted Places

October 27, 2025 • Think ND

Episode Topic: The Dim and Deserted Places

Arielle Phillips Ph.D., discusses her research into the "emptier spaces" and "dimmer objects" of the universe. She explains her approach of focusing on the emptier spaces between galaxies to uncover fundamental truths about the cosmos. Using her background in computational astrophysics, she models how galaxies move and evolve. Through a series of engaging examples and analogies, she helps the audience understand how astronomers collect and interpret information—from light to gravitational waves—to paint a more complete, dynamic picture of the universe.

Featured Speakers:

Arielle Phillips Ph.D., Associate Professor of the Practice in the Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Notre Dame

Read this episode's recap over on the University of Notre Dame's open online learning community platform, ThinkND: https://go.nd.edu/33fd34.

This podcast is a part of the ThinkND Series titled Our Universe Revealed.

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