How old is the universe?

Approximately 13.8 billion years old

What is the cosmic microwave background radiation?

Earliest observable remnant of the universe's beginning

Around 2,700 degrees centigrade

Period of rapid expansion faster than light

Eternal inflation, additional dimensions, super-compact state

The universe's origin, around 13.8 billion years ago, involved a hot, dense state that has since expanded, leaving behind the cosmic microwave background radiation (CMB) as a crucial remnant.
Speculations about the universe's earliest moments involve concepts like eternal inflation and phase transitions, with physics failing to explain conditions before ten to the minus thirteen seconds, highlighting the mystery surrounding the universe's beginnings.

How old is the universe?
Approximately 13.8 billion years old
What is the cosmic microwave background radiation?
Earliest observable remnant of the universe's beginning
How hot was the universe at the cosmic microwave background observation?
Around 2,700 degrees centigrade
What is the inflation period in the universe's history?
Period of rapid expansion faster than light
What are some speculations about the universe's beginning?
Eternal inflation, additional dimensions, super-compact state

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The universe's origin is a long-standing mystery, with science providing a compelling narrative but not a complete one.
The visible universe was once smaller and hotter, with an expansion that began around 13.8 billion years ago.
The cosmic microwave background radiation (CMB) is the earliest observable remnant of the universe's beginning, visible when the universe was about 400,000 years old.
The universe's temperature at the CMB observation was around 2,700 degrees centigrade, with earlier times being even hotter.
Particle accelerators like the Large Hadron Collider recreate early universe conditions, reaching temperatures as high as 7 trillion degrees centigrade.
The inflation period, starting around ten to the minus thirty-six seconds, saw the universe expand faster than light due to a phase transition in forces.
Speculations about the universe's beginning include eternal inflation, additional dimensions, and a super-compact state transitioning into expansion.
Before ten to the minus thirteen seconds, known physics fails, and the universe's expansion is well-documented after that point.
The visible universe was incredibly small at its beginning, with matter and energy compressed to microscopic sizes.
The nature of the universe before ten to the minus thirteen seconds remains speculative, with various theories like eternal inflation and additional dimensions being considered.