This new computer model of the universe delivers amazing results

YouTube/StreamYourWorld

This new computer model of the universe delivers amazing results
(Image credit: YouTube/StreamYourWorld)

MIT and Harvard researchers have created the Illustris simulation, a computer model of the universe that is so accurate it can reproduce an image that looks like it was taken by the Hubble Ultra Deep Field Space Telescope.

Illustris was developed by taking into consideration the laws of physics, how stars evolve, how gases cool, how heavy chemical elements are produced, and other scientific facts, the Los Angeles Times reports. It's a model so complex that if the average desktop computer attempted to run the simulation seen in the video below once, it would take 2,000 years.

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Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia is night editor for TheWeek.com. Her writing and reporting has appeared in Entertainment Weekly and EW.com, The New York Times, The Book of Jezebel, and other publications. A Southern California native, Catherine is a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.