ASTRON 2B03 Study Guide - Final Guide: Horizon Problem, Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe, Isotropy

• School: McMaster University
• Department: Astronomy
• Course: ASTRON 2B03
• Professor: Christine Wilson

Document Summary

Cosmology : the study of the origin and evolution of the universe, on mass, where did the universe come from, why is it the way it is, and where did it come from. We can"t directly experiment on this stuff. So everything we know is from observation rather than experimentation. First big piece of the puzzle - low levels of microwave radiation everywhere you look in the universe - cause of snow" on the tv. Microwaves : redder than infrared, not the longest radiation we can see. This radiation was coming from everywhere at the same intensity, not associated with any particular object. So conclusion: this radiation fills all of space and somehow belongs to the universe as a whole. Possible first piece of evidence for the big bang. Hubble"s law the universe is expanding - says the universe began around 13-14 billion. Universe is filled with cool, low-energy microwave radiation.