The cosmic microwave background
Chapter 1
The accidental discovery
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Chapter 2
The universe's first light
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Chapter 3
Mapping the baby universe
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Chapter 4
Deciphering the cosmic recipe
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YOUR GOAL
Master of The cosmic microwave background
Ch 2 · The universe's first light
teacher Echoes in the static, echoes in the static, we are listening to the birth of the world.
Fun Fact
Ancient TV static: About one percent of the static on old, analog televisions was actually caused by the cosmic microwave background.
Glossary
recombination (noun)
The act or process of combining elements or parts together again. Roughly 380,000 years after the Big Bang, this process released the oldest light in the cosmos.
The act or process of combining elements or parts together again. Roughly 380,000 years after the Big Bang, this process released the oldest light in the cosmos.
Quiz
By what factor has the expansion of the universe stretched the wavelength of the cosmic microwave background?
Quiz
What was the approximate temperature of the universe when the cosmic microwave background was first released?
Quiz
What percentage of old analog TV static was caused by the cosmic microwave background?
Quiz
Why couldn't light travel freely through the universe before the cosmic microwave background was released?
Quiz
What is the cosmic process called when protons and electrons first joined to form neutral hydrogen atoms?
Quiz
What color would the cosmic microwave background have been when it was first released?