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Big Bang Afterglow Reveals Older Universe, More Matter,

Slower Expansion PBS

By: Jenny Marder

A new map shows the oldest light in our universe, as detected with the precision by the Planck

mission. Image by ESA and the Planck Collaboration.

You may have seen this map, which has been making the rounds since its release by the

European Space Agency on Thursday. Its a beauty, isnt it?

The map reveals a snapshot of light left over from the Big Bang, also known as the cosmicmicrowave background. And it holds evidence that has refined our understanding of the ancient

universe, scientists say.

The light, scientists explained at a press conference on Thursday, started out as a white hot

glow, which would have been blindingly bright 370,000 years after the Big Bang, when it was

first emitted. But in the 13.8 billion years since, the universe has expanded 1,100-fold, and the

glow has cooled so much that it is now invisible to the human eye.

But not to Planck, the satellite that was built to see and measure this ancient light with

unmatched precision. The Planck mission has been scanning and mapping the skies since itlaunched into space in 2009. On Thursday, they reported their analysis of the first 15 months of

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data. Planck is successor to NASAs Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP) and the

Cosmic Background Explorer (COBE). But it has more sensitivity and higher resolution.

Its as if weve gone from a standard-definition to a high-definition television, said Paul Hertz,

director of astrophysics at NASA, in a press conference on Thursday. New and important

details have become crystal clear.

The colors in the map represent tiny temperature fluctuations, which show variations in the

intensity of the light. And imprinted in this light, scientists said at yesterdays NASA press

conference on the subject, is evidence of the universes origin and its evolution, clues to what

happens just 10 nano nano nano nano seconds after the Big Bang.

Among the findings: The universe, at 13.8 billion years older, is about 100 million years older

than previously thought, said Martin White, a U.S. Planck scientist from the University of

California at Berkeley. It expanded more rapidly in the past in than previously estimated, but

expands more slowly today. Theres less dark energy, more dark matter, and that dark matter

is clumpier than previously thought. White said.

The Planck satellite should be thought of as cosmologys human genome project, said Marc

Kamionkowski, professor of physics and astronomy at Johns Hopkins University. Just as our

DNA determines many of our individual characteristics, the Planck map sows the seeds from

which the current universe grew.

QUICK BITES

Great lede from Discovery News: Ever have one of those days when you cant find

anything: your keys, your cell phone or that darned Farallon tectonic plate? Im happy to

report some progress on the plate. The Farallon plate, whats left of it, is just fragments

of oceanic crust off the West Coast.

Sex in space could be dangerous, CNET reports.

Terrific post by Ed Yong on the science of the swarm, and how complexity can arise

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http://map.gsfc.nasa.gov/http://aether.lbl.gov/www/projects/cobe/http://science.nasa.gov/about-us/organization-and-leadership/division-bios/dr-paul-hertz/http://astro.berkeley.edu/~mwhite/http://www.pha.jhu.edu/~kamion/www/Home.htmlhttp://www.pha.jhu.edu/~kamion/www/Home.htmlhttp://news.discovery.com/earth/lost-tectonic-plate-found-under-california-130321.htmhttp://news.cnet.com/8301-17852_3-57574712-71/sex-in-space-may-be-dangerous-study-says/http://phenomena.nationalgeographic.com/2013/03/20/swarm-shoal-flock-hive-brain/http://phenomena.nationalgeographic.com/2013/03/20/swarm-shoal-flock-hive-brain/http://news.cnet.com/8301-17852_3-57574712-71/sex-in-space-may-be-dangerous-study-says/http://news.discovery.com/earth/lost-tectonic-plate-found-under-california-130321.htmhttp://www.pha.jhu.edu/~kamion/www/Home.htmlhttp://www.pha.jhu.edu/~kamion/www/Home.htmlhttp://astro.berkeley.edu/~mwhite/http://science.nasa.gov/about-us/organization-and-leadership/division-bios/dr-paul-hertz/http://aether.lbl.gov/www/projects/cobe/http://map.gsfc.nasa.gov/

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from incredibly simple rules.

Are you a cookie dunker? Science says youre not crazy; they really do taste better that

way. NPR has the story on why our taste buds prefer crunchy cookies once theyve

been softened by milk, tea or coffee.

Wheres Voyager 1? That Depends.

What happens to a teenagers brains when they sleep? It might surprise you.

The cicadas are coming.

NOT SAFE FOR LUNCH

Forget Thanksgiving: In the world of gorging, the Dolly Varden trout has humans and their

holidays beat. A new study finds this trout feasts once a year, expanding its gut up to four times

the normal size to make the space.

Photo credit: Planck is a European Space Agency mission, with significant participation from

NASA. Image by ESA/NASA/JPL-Caltech.

Tom Kennedy, Rebecca Jacobson, Patti Parson and David Pelcyger contributed to this report.

Source Article from http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/2013/03/post-26.html

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