![]() However, although quite a few attempts have been made, no clear observational confirmation of this has been possible so far. A particular prediction of the Big Bang theory is also that the temperature of the CMBR must have been higher at earlier times. Since the universe is expanding, it must have been denser in the past. However, slight temperature variations in different directions have been measured, most recently by means of detailed observations from a balloon above Antarctica (the Boomerang experiment). This radiation comes from all directions and is extremely uniform. Precision measurements by the COBE satellite later showed that this ancient radiation fills the Universe, with a present-day temperature of slightly less than 3 degrees above the absolute zero (2.7 K, or -270.4 ☌). ![]() Wilson, who were rewarded with the Nobel Prize in 1978. This relict radiation of the primeval fireball was discovered in 1964 by means of radio observations by American physicists Arno A. One of the fundamental predictions of the Hot Big Bang theory for the creation of the Universe is the existence of the Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation (CMBR). The Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation (CMBR) The analysis of the VLT spectrum of the distant quasar not only gives the definitive proof of the presence of the relict radiation in the early Universe, it also shows that it was indeed significantly warmer than it is today, as predicted by the theory. This is exactly what is found by the new measurements. If the Universe was indeed formed in a Big Bang, as most astrophysicists believe, the glow of this primeval fireball should have been warmer in the past. They obtained a detailed spectrum of a quasar in the distant Universe, using the UV-Visual Echelle Spectrograph (UVES) instrument at the ESO 8.2-m VLT KUEYEN telescope at the Paranal Observatory. This fundamental and very difficult observation was achieved by a team of astronomers from India, France and ESO. For the first time, an actual measurement has been made of the temperature of the cosmic microwave background radiation, at a time when the Universe was only about 2.5 billion years old. A fundamental prediction of the Big Bang theory has finally been verified.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Details
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |