Astronomy Picture of the Day ·

Cosmic Microwave Map Swirls Indicate Inflation

The Astronomy Picture of the Day for March 18, 2014 is “Cosmic Microwave Map Swirls Indicate Inflation,” an image. It is credited to Image Credit: BICEP2 Collaboration , NSF , Steffen Richter (Harvard). The original explanation runs about 175 words.

Cosmic Microwave Map Swirls Indicate Inflation
Credit: Image Credit: BICEP2 Collaboration , NSF , Steffen Richter (Harvard) Shown from science.nasa.gov. Not hosted by OpenOrbit.

From the explanation

“Did the universe undergo an early epoch of extremely rapid expansion? Such an inflationary epoch has been postulated to explain several puzzling cosmic attributes such as why our universe looks similar in opposite directions .”

— APOD editors, March 18, 2014

Read the full explanation on science.nasa.gov

At a glance

Date
March 18, 2014
Type
Image
Credit
Credit: Image Credit: BICEP2 Collaboration , NSF , Steffen Richter (Harvard)
Copyright
No copyright notice on the entry. Check the credited institution’s own usage rules before reusing it.
Explanation length
About 175 words

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Source

Copy taken Oct 28, 2026, 2:39 AM EDT. The image and explanation belong to their creators. OpenOrbit is not affiliated with or endorsed by NASA.