So much happened in the earliest moments of the universe. Elementary particles appeared, the first nuclei of hydrogen and helium, and fluctuations of energy and matter set into motion the formation of ...

For the first time, scientists have used Earth-based telescopes to look back over 13 billion years to see how the first stars in the universe affect light emitted from the big bang. Using telescopes ...

The earliest galaxies may have scrambled our reading of the Universe. A new study challenges the traditional interpretation of the cosmic microwave background, this fossil light from the Big Bang.

Back in 1964, the two scientists Arno Penzias and Robert Wilson found themselves at Bell Labs with a mission. Their main goal ...

The earliest light in the universe has been traveling across space since just after the Big Bang. Known as the cosmic microwave background, it is imperceptible to the human eye. But if scientists can ...

(via Dr. Becky) There's a strange, unexplained feature of the Cosmic Microwave Background which seems to be aligned with the Solar System, and we don't why. Is it real or just a coincidence? And if it ...

Scientists studying a mysterious effect called cosmic birefringence—a subtle twist in the polarization of the universe’s oldest light—have developed a new way to reduce uncertainty in how it’s ...

The clearest pictures yet of the newborn cosmos strengthen the prevailing model of the universe but deepen a mystery about its expansion rate. Measurements of this rate, known as the Hubble constant, ...

Leftover light from the young universe has a major flaw, and we don't know how to fix it. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

The cosmic microwave background, shown at left in this illustration, is a flash of light that occurred when the young universe cooled enough for electrons and protons to form the first atoms. It ...