Precision Cosmology : The First Half Million Years (VALIDATED - 2024)

Start with the moment of "last scattering." Before 380,000 years, the universe was a hot, opaque plasma soup. Then, it cooled enough for atoms to form, the fog lifted, and light finally escaped. This is the CMB —the oldest "picture" we have.

Based on this era, we know the universe is roughly 68% Dark Energy, 27% Dark Matter, and only 5% "stuff" (atoms, stars, us). Precision cosmology : the first half million years

A "timeline of transparency"—showing the transition from a glowing orange wall of plasma to the first streaks of clear light, eventually fading into the "Dark Ages" before the first stars turned on. Start with the moment of "last scattering