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Britannica Singapore > Encyclopedia Categories > Astronomy > cosmic background radiation

cosmic background radiation

Electromagnetic radiation, mostly in the microwave range, believed to be the highly redshifted residual effect (see redshift) of the explosion billions of years ago from which, according to the big-bang model, the universe was created. It was discovered by accident in 1964 by Robert W. Wilson and Arno Penzias; its presence supports the predictions of big-bang cosmology.

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