The horn antenna in Holmdel, NJ used in the 1960s by Bell Labs scientists Penzias and Wilson, who accidentally discovered the cosmic microwave background (CMB).
Bettmann / Contributor
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Bettmann / Contributor
The horn antenna in Holmdel, NJ used in the 1960s by Bell Labs scientists Penzias and Wilson, who accidentally discovered the cosmic microwave background (CMB).
Bettmann / Contributor
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.
Listen to Short Wave on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
Listen to every episode of Short Wave sponsor-free and support our work at NPR by signing up for Short Wave+ at plus.npr.org/shortwave.
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®.