The Planck space telescope of the European Space Agency has made the most detailed observations yet of the first light in the universe (see full details here).
Elementary particles cooled enough to form hydrogen atoms 380,000 years after creation, rendering the universe transparent to light for the first time. Amazingly this light still permeates the universe, albeit shifted into the microwave spectrum due to the expansion of space since that time.
This cosmic microwave background represents the most ancient image that will ever be seen, a map that points to the subsequent development of all structure in the universe.
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