IndexThe Origin of the UniverseA survey of the evidence
Introduction |
The Cosmic Microwave Radiation Background
Quantum physicists realized that if the entire universe expanded from a single point, it would have initially been opaque - photons would not have been able to travel far without interacting with other photons. Only when the universe grew large enough for photons to travel unimpeded, would light have burst onto the scene. They predicted, that we would still be able to see that first light. Astronomers have detected the cosmic microwave background radiation and mapped fluctuations in its intensity. The cosmic microwave background radiation supports the theory that the universe expanded from a point to produce the matter and galaxies we observe today. |