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Astrophysics/The big bang

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Expert: - 9/18/2010


Question
Was visible light produced by the big bang or was the universe dark until stars were formed?

Answer
Light is produced all the time.  Visible light was indeed produced by the big bang, along with higher and lower energies of light.  Since then, the universe has cooled to where light from the big bang peaks around the peak temperature of 3 Kelvin according to Wein's law.  Generally, that's in the microwave frequency range, not visible.

Astrophysics

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Steve Nelson

Expertise

Fusion, solar flares, cosmic rays, radiation in space, and stellar physics questions. Generally, nuclear-related astrophysics, but I can usually point you in the right direction if it's not nuclear-related or if it's nuclear but not astrophysics.

Experience

Currently a physics professor at the University of Texas of the Permian Basin. Doctoral dissertation was on a reaction in CNO-cycle fusion, worked in gamma-ray astronomy in the space science division of the naval research laboratory in the high-energy space environment branch.

Organizations
Physics professor at the University of Texas of the Permian Basin.

Education/Credentials
Ph.D. in physics, research was on nuclear fusion reactions important in stellar fusion.

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