https://www.live-feeds.com/feed/what-ended-the-cosmic-dark-age-astronomers-say-they-re-closer-than-ever-to-an-answerContinuously updated, source-cited coverage. https://www.live-feeds.com/feed/what-ended-the-cosmic-dark-age-astronomers-say-they-re-closer-than-ever-to-an-answerhttps://www.live-feeds.com/feed/what-ended-the-cosmic-dark-age-astronomers-say-they-re-closer-than-ever-to-an-answer#u173337Wed, 04 Nov 2026 07:18:36 +0000Astronomers are closer to understanding what ended the 'Cosmic Dark Age', a period when the universe was a dense fog of hydrogen. New observations suggest that young massive stars, not supernovae, likely reionized the early universe, allowing ionizing light to escape and clear the fog. This challenges previous theories that powerful winds from exploding stars helped radiation escape galaxies.Why it mattersThe 'Cosmic Dark Age' occurred about 400,000 years after the Big Bang, when the universe was still a very dark place. The period ended when the first stars formed and prod