cosmic microwave background

Cultural  

1. The microwave radiation that arrives at the Earth from every direction in space. The detection of this radiation played an important role in acceptance of the Big Bang theory.

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This radiation is sometimes referred to as the “echo” of the Big Bang.

Example Sentences

The second method, called the early relic method, involves measuring the leftover light from the Big Bang in what is called the cosmic microwave background.

From Salon • Dec. 9, 2024

"Studying these waves from the early universe will help us build a complete picture of our cosmic history, analogous to previous discoveries of the cosmic microwave background."

From Science Daily • Mar. 8, 2024

Or it could be a relic of the Big Bang, akin to the cosmic microwave background, which led to fundamental discoveries about the structure of the universe to within 400,000 years of its beginning.

From New York Times • Jun. 28, 2023

The light from this epoch, now stretched to microwave wavelengths because of the universe’s subsequent expansion, is detectable as the all-pervading cosmic microwave background.

From Scientific American • Apr. 18, 2022

The map displays the cosmic microwave background as temperature variations, but these variations translate to differences in the density of matter in the early universe.

From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2015