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  3. Cosmic Microwave Background
Cosmology

Cosmic Microwave Background

Definition

Electromagnetic radiation left over from the early universe, about 380,000 years after the Big Bang. It is the oldest light in the universe, now cooled to about 2.725 Kelvin. The CMB is crucial evidence for the Big Bang theory.

Related Terms

Big Bang

The prevailing cosmological model explaining the origin of the universe from an initial state of extremely high density ...

Redshift

An increase in wavelength of radiation from an object moving away from the observer. The redshift of distant galaxies pr...

Dark Energy

A hypothetical form of energy that permeates all of space and drives the accelerating expansion of the universe. It cons...

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