Astronomy
Cosmic Background Radiation and the Big Bang
Quick fact
The cosmic microwave background was discovered accidentally in 1965 by Arno Penzias and Robert Wilson as a persistent noise in their radio antenna, earning them a Nobel Prize.
Why this is interesting
Imagine seeing the glow of the Big Bang itself – not with your eyes, but with a radio telescope. That faint hiss from every direction is the oldest light in the universe, and it holds the key to how everything began.