Posted: Mon, Sep 23, 2002, 9:20 AM ET (1320 GMT)
Data from a telescope at the South Pole has provided the latest evidence in support of current models for the Big Bang formation of the universe. Observations by the Degree Angular Scale Interferometer (DASI) radio telescope showed that the cosmic microwave background (CMB) — microwave radiation left over from the Big Bang — is polarized. The polarization proves that larger temperature variations previously seen in the CMB date back to the creation of the radiation, about 400,000 years after the formation of the universe. The detection of the polarization required 200 days of observations of two small regions of the sky by DASI. The announcement was made late last week at a cosmology conference in Chicago.

Related Links:

•  New Scientist article
•  Reuters article