TV Static and the Cosmic Microwave Background
Chapter 1

Rainbows of the night sky

Chapter 2

The invisible puppet masters

Chapter 3

Shaking the fabric of reality

Chapter 4

The echo of creation

YOUR GOAL

Master of How to read the secret code of the cosmos

Ch 4 · The echo of creation
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007skaty Ancient stellar nurseries created the chemical building blocks of the human body.

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We live surrounded by the quiet remnants of how we began.

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The cosmic fog that finally cleared

007skaty Recombination allowed protons and electrons to form neutral hydrogen atoms, freeing light that free electrons previously blocked like

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The oldest baby picture of the cosmos

007skaty A speckled, colorful oval map shows the oldest baby picture of the cosmos.

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Tiny Universe Tuner
BETA

007skaty Tune the subatomic frequencies to discover how fundamental forces shape our universe.

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Fun Fact

Cosmic static: About 1% of the static "snow" on old, analog television sets is actually interference from the Cosmic Microwave Background, the echo of the Big Bang.

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Glossary
cosmic microwave background (noun)
Electromagnetic radiation filling the universe that is a residual effect of the Big Bang. In 1964, Arno Penzias and Robert Wilson accidentally detected this ancient radiation using a Bell Labs antenna.

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Gossip

How does thinking about the universe's size make you feel?

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Quiz

What percentage of analog television static is caused by the Cosmic Microwave Background?

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Quiz

Roughly how old is the universe according to modern cosmological measurements?

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Quiz

What is the name of the ancient relic light discovered in 1964 that represents the echo of the Big Bang?

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Quiz

What is the scientific term for the moment when early electrons and protons joined to let light travel freely?

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Quiz

Which two elements made up almost the entire early universe before the first stars formed?

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Quiz

How many years after the Big Bang did the universe cool down enough for light to finally travel freely?

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Quiz

Who first proposed the Big Bang theory in 1927, calling it the 'primeval atom' hypothesis?

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Quiz

What instrument were Arno Penzias and Robert Wilson troubleshooting when they accidentally discovered the Big Bang's echo?

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