Above are two microwave [ http://ux9.lbl.gov/…] images of the sky, looking north and south of our galaxy [ http://antwrp.gsfc.…]'s equator, based on data from NASA's COBE satellite. After computer processing to remove contributions from nearby objects and the effects of the earth's motion [ http://antwrp.gsfc.…], they show "spots". These spots [ http://ux9.lbl.gov/…] are the oldest structures known - probably the oldest structures humanity will ever know. They are also the most distant. As our universe expanded [ http://www.ncsa.uiu…] and cooled, conglomerations of mass formed - these are some of the first. They confirm that only a million years after the big-bang [ http://www2.ari.net…] - which occurred roughly 15 billion years ago [ http://www.as.utexa…] - parts of the universe [ http://altair.syr.e…] were visibly hotter than other parts. By studying the size and distribution of the spots found with COBE [ http://spectrum.lbl…] and future missions [ http://cobi.gsfc.na…], astronomers hope to learn what matter and processes caused the spots to form - and hence determine the composition [ http://antwrp.gsfc.…], density [ http://www.as.utexa…], and future [ http://www2.ari.net…] of our universe.
Explanation
Above are two microwave [ http://ux9.lbl.gov/…] images of the sky, looking north and south of our galaxy [ http://antwrp.gsfc.…]'s equator, based on data from NASA's COBE satellite. After computer processing to remove contributions from nearby objects and the effects of the earth's motion [ http://antwrp.gsfc.…], they show "spots". These spots [ http://ux9.lbl.gov/…] are the oldest structures known - probably the oldest structures humanity will ever know. They are also the most distant. As our universe expanded [ http://www.ncsa.uiu…] and cooled, conglomerations of mass formed - these are some of the first. They confirm that only a million years after the big-bang [ http://www2.ari.net…] - which occurred roughly 15 billion years ago [ http://www.as.utexa…] - parts of the universe [ http://altair.syr.e…] were visibly hotter than other parts. By studying the size and distribution of the spots found with COBE [ http://spectrum.lbl…] and future missions [ http://cobi.gsfc.na…], astronomers hope to learn what matter and processes caused the spots to form - and hence determine the composition [ http://antwrp.gsfc.…], density [ http://www.as.utexa…], and future [ http://www2.ari.net…] of our universe.
