What the "background noise of the universe" tells us about spacetime's origins

The Big Bang: The moment when the universe — everything in existence — began. ... Right?

Turns out, it's not quite that simple.

Today, when scientists talk about the Big Bang, they mean a period of time – closer to an era than to a specific moment.

Host Regina Barber talks with two cosmologists about the cosmic microwave background, its implications for the universe's origins and the discovery that started it all.

Interested in more space science? Email us at shortwave@npr.org.

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Today's episode was produced and fact checked by Hannah Chinn. It was edited by Rebecca Ramirez.

Special thanks to our friends at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center, Home of Space Camp®.