A team of scientists has released the most detailed map yet of the cosmic microwave background, a faint light emitted by the universe just 380,000 years after the Big Bang. The Atacama Cosmology Telescope (ACT) compiled this map using five years of observations, providing unprecedented insights into the universe’s infancy.
The new data reveals that the observable universe extends almost 50 billion light-years in all directions, containing approximately 2 trillion trillion Suns worth of mass. However, most of this mass is invisible, with only 100 zetta-suns of normal matter detectable. The remaining mass consists of dark matter and dark energy, which are still not fully understood.
The data also shows that the universe’s expansion rate is about 67 kilometers per second per megaparsec, a value that differs from previous measurements. This discrepancy, known as the Hubble constant tension, remains unresolved, with scientists struggling to explain the difference between distant and local measurements of the universe’s expansion.
Despite this challenge, the new map provides a clearer understanding of the early universe, allowing researchers to study the polarization of light in high resolution. This technique enables them to infer the nature of environments that light has traveled through, providing valuable insights into the universe’s evolution.
The findings have been detailed in three preprint papers uploaded to arXiv and the Princeton University ACT website. Researchers are optimistic that continued observations and improved analysis will help resolve the Hubble constant tension, bringing us closer to understanding the mysteries of the universe.
Source: https://www.sciencealert.com/universes-first-light-has-just-been-revealed-in-stunning-detail