Astronomy
The Role of Cosmic Inflation in Explaining the Universe's Flatness
Quick fact
One of the strongest pieces of evidence that the universe is flat comes from the cosmic microwave background: its temperature fluctuations are just 1 part in 100,000, matching predictions from a flat universe with astonishing precision.
Why this is interesting
You've probably heard the universe is flat—but why should it be? The answer lies in a mind-bending episode that happened in less than a trillionth of a second after the Big Bang.