Cosmic 'treasure trove' revealed (BBC) {more from WMAP}

[eppur_se_muova]

By Helen Briggs
Science reporter, BBC News

A Nasa space probe measuring the oldest light in the Universe has found that cosmic neutrinos made up 10% of matter shortly after the Big Bang.

Five years of study data also shows that the first stars took over half a billion years to light up the Universe.

WMAP launched in 2001 on a mission to measure remnants of light left over from the Big Bang.

Scientists say it is collecting a "treasure trove" of information about the Universe's age, make-up and fate.

The Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy probe (WMAP) is mapping the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) radiation in the sky. This is the oldest light in the Universe, shifted to microwave wavelengths as the Universe expanded over 13.7 billion years.
****
more: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7288463.stm

http://map.gsfc.nasa.gov/news/index.html