THE WHATIS.COM WORD-OF-THE-DAY February 28, 2003 image of the early universe
______________ TODAY'S SPONSOR: Free whitepapers for CIOs Download the key papers you need today to make better-informed decisions. Targeted categories include: Management and Strategy, Service Providers, Industry-Specific Applications and Ebusiness Technology. Click here to access the free SearchCIO.com white papers section http://searchcio.techtarget.com/whitepapers3/0,,sid19,00.html ________________ TODAY'S WORD: image of the early universe See our complete definition with hyperlinks at http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/0,,sid9_gci882233,00.html An image of the early universe, showing irregularities in its brightness 380,000 years after its birth, has been produced by a device called the Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP). The image has given astronomers and cosmologists new insight into the age, shape, and mass of the cosmos, and the way in which matter has been distributed throughout its history. The universe is believed to have originated in an explosion of incomprehensible brilliance, called the Big Bang, 13.7 billion years ago. Thus, the WMAP image portrays the universe when it was approximately 1/36,000 of its present age. The data implies a cosmos that is geometrically flat (Euclidean) on a large scale, rather than spherical (closed) or hyperboloidal (open) as some theorists have suggested. Only four percent of the mass of the universe consists of matter as we know it; the rest is dark matter that cannot be directly seen, and so-called dark energy. The WMAP image is consistent with the notion of an expanding universe. This theory, called the Big Bang theory, became popular as a result of observations made by the astronomer Edwin Hubble in 1929. Evidence backing up this theory has accumulated since then, and some astronomers believe the WMAP data virtually proves it. RELATED TERMS: mass http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/0,,sid9_gci549408,00.html matter http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/0,,sid9_gci865252,00.html ______________________ SELECTED LINKS: NASA provides images of the map and an explanation. http://map.gsfc.nasa.gov/m_mm.html ______________________ CHALLENGE #28 | Know a good blog? This week, we invite you to share your favorite blogs. We'll start. Here's one of our favorite blogs for Photoshop tips and tricks: http://www.fjordaan.uklinux.net/moveabletype/fblog/archives/000057.html If we can get enough good IT-related blogs together, we can build a Fast Guide to IT Blogs. Want to help? Post a link to your favorite IT blog(s) in our discussion forum or e-mail us the URL at [EMAIL PROTECTED] -- Thanks! >> Click to go to the discussion forum http://WhatIs.com/r/0,,10865,00.htm?x ______________________ QUIZ #36 (NEW!) | Linux Basics Take our latest quiz and see how much you know about Linux. 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Suggestions for Steps to Success topics are always welcome. >> Click here to auto-activate your free subscription http://searchCIO.techtarget.com/OptIn/1,290894,sid19,00.html?cid=&em=&tid=3110&FE=1 ______________________________ RECENT ADDITIONS AND UPDATES [1] image of the early universe http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/0,,sid9_gci882233,00.html [2] distribution http://searchenterpriselinux.techtarget.com/sDefinition/0,,sid39_gci882232,00.html [3] Bison http://searchenterpriselinux.techtarget.com/sDefinition/0,,sid39_gci882229,00.html [4] Bash http://searchenterpriselinux.techtarget.com/sDefinition/0,,sid39_gci882213,00.html [5] free software http://searchenterpriselinux.techtarget.com/sDefinition/0,,sid39_gci882209,00.html ____________________________________________________________________ ::::::::::::::::::: WHATIS.COM CONTACTS ::::::::::::::::::: LOWELL THING, Site Editor ([EMAIL PROTECTED]) ____________________________________________________________________ MARGARET ROUSE, Associate Editor ([EMAIL PROTECTED]) ___________________________________________________________________ :::::::::::::::::::: ABOUT THIS NEWSLETTER ::::::::::::::::::::: Published by TechTarget (http://www.techtarget.com) TechTarget - The Most Targeted IT Media Copyright 2003, All Rights Reserved. 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