Large Hadron Collider Shutting Down For Two Years

Long Shutdown 1, for maintenance

It's lights out at the celebrated Large Hadron Collider. The world's most powerful particle accelerator has shut down for a two-year hiatus, CERN officials announced Thursday in a news release.

During the break, dubbed "Long Shutdown 1," the atom smasher is expected to be repaired and upgraded in an effort to prepare the machine for operating at higher energy.