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Article: Planck by Planck: mapping the earliest moments of time.(birth of the universe)(Cover story)
- Article from:
- Science News
- Article date:
- April 11, 2009
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2009 Science Service, Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Want to see the birth of the universe?
Astronomers say it's not a scam. The launch of the European Space Agency's Planck mission, set for late April or early May, will put into orbit a new tool--the microwave equivalent of polarized sunglasses--that may offer a view of the dawn of time.
Before the first galaxies, before the first stars, there was light--the brilliant glow of radiation created during the Big Bang, 13.7 billion years ago. The remnant of that ancient light, now cooled by the expansion of the universe to a frigid 2.7 kelvins, is known as the cosmic microwave background. Instruments on the Planck craft will explore this ...