Its hard to picture the universe in its infancy.
But in the beginning, things were simple.
This is the earliest cosmic time accessible to our viewing.
In this image, three wavelengths of light have been combined to highlight the Milky Way (purple) and cosmic microwave background (gray).ACT COLLABORATION; ESA/PLANCK COLLABORATION
Thats because light would frequently scatter off of free electrons, making the universe opaque.
The polarization of the material reveals the detailed movement of hydrogen and helium during cosmic infancy.
The images are helping scientists gather clues to the universes origin story.
The cosmic microwave background as captured by ACT. Credit: ACT COLLABORATION; ESA/PLANCK COLLABORATION
Our standard model of cosmology has just undergone its most stringent set of tests.
We have tested it for new physics in many different ways and dont see evidence for any novelties.
News from the future, delivered to your present.
The first light that permeated the universe revealed in extreme detail. The blue and orange colors are variations in intensity and polarization. Credit: ACT COLLABORATION; ESA/PLANCK COLLABORATION
Are We Inside a Black Hole?
What Shape Is the Universe?
The options become even more complicated if you consider time as a dimension.
