The very early Universe lies beyond our direct observation. Electromagnetic radiation from this time period was continuously scattered by a hot and opaque plasma of charged particles that filled the Universe. It wasn’t until 300,000 years after the big bang that neutral hydrogen formed from these free protons and electrons (in a process called recombination), and electromagnetic radiation was finally able to travel unimpeded across the now transparent Universe. This light offers us a direct view of the cosmos at the time of recombination, and from that picture we can try to infer what was happening before.
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