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The Olbers' Paradox

The Olbers' Paradox is a famous problem in astronomy and cosmology that addresses the question of why the night sky is dark if the universe is infinite and filled with an infinite number of stars. The paradox is named after the German astronomer Heinrich Wilhelm Olbers, who discussed it in the early 19th century, although the problem was considered by earlier astronomers as well.

The paradox can be summarized as follows:

  1. If the universe is infinite and unchanging, and if there are stars distributed uniformly throughout space, then every line of sight from Earth should eventually intersect with a star.

  2. Therefore, no matter where you look in the night sky, your line of sight should eventually reach a star.

  3. If there are stars in every direction, then the night sky should be as bright as the surface of the Sun, regardless of the time of day or year.

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Cosmic Background Radiation

Cosmic Background Radiation, often referred to as the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB), is a form of electromagnetic radiation that fills the universe and is a key piece of evidence supporting the Big Bang theory of the universe's origin. Here are the fundamental aspects of Cosmic Background Radiation:

  1. Discovery: Cosmic Background Radiation was discovered accidentally in 1964 by Arno Penzias and Robert Wilson, two radio astronomers working at Bell Telephone Laboratories in New Jersey, USA. They were using a large radio antenna to conduct experiments but were puzzled by a persistent low-level noise that seemed to come from every direction in the sky.

  2. Origin: The CMB is believed to have originated approximately 13.8 billion years ago, shortly after the Big Bang. At that time, the universe was extremely hot and dense. As the universe expanded and cooled, it left behind a remnant of radiation in the form of microwave photons.

  3. Nature: The CMB consists of microwave photons with wavelengths in the microwave portion of the electromagnetic spectrum. These photons have cooled over billions of years due to the expansion of the universe and now have a temperature of approximately 2.7 Kelvin (about -454 degrees Fahrenheit or -270 degrees Celsius).

  4. Uniformity: One of the most significant observations about the CMB is its remarkable uniformity. When astronomers measure the temperature of the CMB in different directions in the sky, they find that it is nearly the same in all directions, with only tiny fluctuations or variations at the level of about one part in 100,000. This uniformity strongly supports the idea that the universe was once much hotter and denser, as predicted by the Big Bang theory.

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