Light
The first photons that escaped when the universe cooled enough to become transparent, setting light free to travel across space and time.
Visual Provenance
The Cosmic Microwave Background is the first light of the universe. This image is an all-sky map, flattened like a map of the Earth. The mottled pattern shows the temperature differences in the early universe—the seeds of all future galaxies. It is the visual record of the moment the cosmos became transparent.
The Universe Becomes Transparent
For 380,000 years, the universe was a dense, opaque fog. Photons were trapped, constantly scattering off free electrons in a plasma so hot that atoms could not form. Then, as the universe expanded and cooled to ~3,000 Kelvin, electrons finally bound to protons, forming neutral hydrogen atoms. In an instant, space became transparent. Light was set free. This moment—recombination—marks the birth of the visible universe. Before this, we could not see. After this, light could travel across cosmic distances, carrying information from the earliest moments to our telescopes today. The recombination epoch represents a fundamental transition in the universe's history, when the opaque plasma of the early universe gave way to transparent space, allowing light to travel freely for the first time.
Planck Epoch
Light
First Stars Form
Planck Epoch
Light
First Stars Form
The Physics of Recombination
Recombination occurs when the temperature drops low enough for electrons to be captured by atomic nuclei. At temperatures above ~3,000 K, collisions are so energetic that atoms cannot form—electrons are immediately stripped away. Below this temperature, electrons can bind to protons, creating neutral hydrogen atoms. This transition happened throughout the entire universe simultaneously, as the cosmic expansion cooled the plasma below the critical temperature. The process was not instantaneous but occurred over thousands of years. However, on cosmic timescales, this was a remarkably rapid transition, marking the moment when the universe changed from opaque to transparent.
Artifact Profile
The First Light
The light released during recombination is still traveling through space today. We detect it as the Cosmic Microwave Background—a faint glow that fills the entire sky. This light has been traveling for 13.8 billion years, carrying with it information about the universe when it was only 380,000 years old. Every photon we detect from the CMB is a messenger from the moment light was born. This first light connects us directly to the early universe. It shows that the energy released during recombination is still with us, stretched by cosmic expansion but still carrying the imprint of that first moment of transparency.
Light Hoodie
Own a piece of history. Premium heavyweight cotton hoodie featuring the Light artifact.
View Design
Data Source: The Human Archives
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