Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation

This is an image of the cosmic microwave background radiation, it provides scientists with the earliest snapshots of the conditions of the infant universe, but it was difficult to examine this radiation clearly from earth because of interference from the atmosphere. In 1989, NASA launched its Cosmic Background Explorer [COBE] satellite into space to get a clearer view of cosmic microwave background radiation.
Detectors of the COBE satellite designed were sensitive enough to measure minute fluctuations, or 'anisotropies', in the temperature of the cosmic background radiation that are the right size and pattern to explain the origin of galaxies. These anistropies correspond to the presence of tiny seeds of matter clumping together under the influence of gravity. From these seeds celesttial objects sauch as stars, galaxies and clusters of galaxies would eventually grow.
The colour differences in th einame reveal the 13.7 billion year old temperature fluctuations that correspond to the seeds from which the galaxies would eventually grow. This narrowed down the age of the universe to 13.7 billion years, and have also shown that it was only a reltaivley short time after the big bang, about 200 million years, that the first stars began to form.