observations of the early universe

Observations of the early universe, such as the cosmic microwave background radiation, reveal a snapshot of the universe roughly 380,000 years after the Big Bang. This faint glow is the leftover heat from the universe's first moments, allowing scientists to study initial conditions, the formation of the first atoms, and the seeds of galaxies. By analyzing these signals, astronomers understand how the universe expanded and evolved, providing insights into fundamental physics, including the nature of dark matter and dark energy. These observations help us piece together the universe's origin and its subsequent development over billions of years.