NASA releases video about the evolution of the universe after 12 years

After more than a decade of observing and monitoring the universe, NASA has released a short film showing the evolution of outer space, which is indeed a very "busy" place.

The universe after 12 years has seen changes in millions of stars, along with black holes that are "eating" all the matter it passes through (including light) or we can witness the dying moments of a star, asteroid and comet. 

The image, discovered by the WISE telescope, covers the entire sky and reveals the locations of hundreds of millions of objects, as well as the amount of infrared light each object emits. (Photo: NASA).

These events come from observational efforts made from the NEOWISE mission .

This provided scientists with valuable information about the evolution of the universe for more than a decade.

NASA's Near-Earth Object Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (NEOWISE) mission, using the WISE space telescope, has tracked asteroids and comets, including those that pose a threat to Earth.

WISE has identified and tracked near-Earth objects, collecting data on their sizes and other important measurements and analyses. It has provided scientists with data from more than 158,000 minor planets, with more than 34,000 new discoveries.

All the data collected by NASA over 12 years has helped the agency recreate a short film showing the evolution of our universe, the location of hundreds of millions of objects and the amount of infrared light they emit into space.

Cosmic Symphony

Accordingly, every six months, the WISE spacecraft makes a half-trip around the Sun, taking pictures in all directions.

They will then be combined to create a map of the "entire universe" showing the positions and brightnesses of hundreds of millions of objects.

Specifically, NASA has built 18 maps of the universe, which allowed scientists to create a movie about the evolution of the universe, after more than a decade.

Here's a time-lapse video from NASA's NEOWISE mission, giving stargazers a chance to see previously hidden brown dwarfs, a black hole feeding on matter, a stellar nursery, or a dying star.

Time-lapse footage from NASA's NEOWISE mission.

From the video above we can see that distant objects have changed position or brightness over time, which is called time domain astronomy.

"If you go outside and look at the night sky, it looks like nothing has changed, but it hasn't. Stars are shining and exploding. Asteroids are moving at super-fast speeds. Black holes are tearing stars apart. Space is a very busy place , " said Amy Mainzer, a member of the NEOWISE project at the University of Arizona, Tucson, in a statement.