How everything began
Chapter 1
The first second of existence
View / Create
Answer
Chapter 2
The light that remains
View / Create
Answer
Chapter 3
Building the first atoms
View / Create
Answer
Chapter 4
From darkness to first stars
View / Create
Answer
YOUR GOAL
Master of How everything began
Ch 2 · The light that remains
teacher Hear that static on the screen? (on the screen!) / That's the glow of the Big Bang! (glowing on!)
Fun Fact
Cosmic static: If you own an old analog television, about one percent of the black-and-white static you see is the actual glow of the Big Bang.
Glossary
cosmic microwave background (noun)
Electromagnetic radiation left over from an early stage in the development of the universe. Arno Penzias and Robert Wilson discovered this ancient afterglow of the early universe in 1964.
Electromagnetic radiation left over from an early stage in the development of the universe. Arno Penzias and Robert Wilson discovered this ancient afterglow of the early universe in 1964.
Quiz
What did Penzias and Wilson initially think was causing the static in their antenna?
Quiz
What do the tiny temperature fluctuations in the Cosmic Microwave Background represent?
Quiz
Which satellite launched in 1989 first mapped the Cosmic Microwave Background's tiny temperature variations?
Quiz
What temperature was the universe when it finally cooled enough to become transparent?