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EnglishWhat is CERN and what does the home.cern website cover?
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CERN is the European Laboratory for Particle Physics, a research organization where scientists from around the world use unique machines to explore how the Universe works and to push the limits of technology for the benefit of society. The home.cern website is the lab's main public entry point: it carries current news, explains the physics and the machines, and provides practical routes for visiting, touring the accelerator complex, and finding educational resources.
What CERN does, according to the site
The homepage states the mission directly: scientists at CERN use unique machines to explore how the Universe works, pushing the limits of technology for the benefit of society. Two current threads on the site show what that means in practice:
- Accelerator milestones. CERN is marking 50 years of the Super Proton Synchrotron (SPS), its second-largest accelerator, described as five decades of discoveries, innovation and pioneering experiments.
- Collaboration on computing and AI. CERN and Mistral have signed a statement of intent to advance AI for science and strengthen Europe's scientific and technological capabilities.
The site also highlights physics results, such as CMS and LHCb researchers' latest findings on the rare transformation of a beauty quark into a strange quark and two muons.
What the site covers
The homepage organizes content into clear sections, each with its own entry point:
| Section | What you find there |
|---|---|
| News | Latest news, with filters by category and date |
| Physics | Explanations of the science CERN pursues |
| Accelerators | The machines, including the SPS and the LHC chain |
| Experiments | The detectors and research programmes |
| Engineering | Technical work behind the facilities |
| Computing | Data and computing infrastructure |
| Knowledge sharing | Educational and outreach material |
| Technology from CERN to society | Applications of CERN technology beyond physics |
| CERN and the environment | Environmental information |
| Educational resources | Material for teachers and students |
| Visit CERN | Planning a visit and touring the accelerator complex |
What's happening at CERN now
As of mid-2026, the site notes that CERN's accelerator complex and experiment facilities are undergoing major maintenance and upgrade work — Long Shutdown 3. Thousands of experts from many disciplines are involved. The central goal is transforming the LHC into a high-luminosity machine, the HiLumi LHC, with most other accelerators and experimental facilities being upgraded as well.
Two forward-looking projects are presented:
- HiLumi LHC (in preparation). It will increase the number of particle collisions — "luminosity" — by a factor of ten, vastly increasing the physics data available to researchers. This will let physicists study the Higgs boson and other elementary particles with unprecedented precision, raising the potential for discoveries after 2030.
- Future Circular Collider. Described as a possible next-generation particle collider for Europe.
When home.cern is the right place to start
Use home.cern if you want the official, current overview of CERN: its mission, its news, the status of its machines, and the practical pages for visiting or teaching. If you need a specific physics paper or dataset, the homepage points you toward the relevant research sections rather than hosting raw results itself. If you are planning a trip, start from "Visit CERN" and "Tour the accelerator complex"; if you are an educator, the educational resources section is the direct route.