Cosmic Triumph: Satellite confirms birth theory of universe

The most detailed portrait ever taken of the radiation left over from the Big Bang provides fresh evidence that the universe began with a tremendous growth spurt, expanding from subatomic scales to the size of a grapefruit in less than a trillionth of a second.

POLARIZED PICTURE. New measurements of the polarization (white lines) of the radiation left over from the Big Bang, combined with a map of hot and cold spots in the background, support a leading theory about the birth of the universe.