COBE satelite strongest evidence of the big bang ?

[land_of_ice]

So now, do big most bang beleivers and non beleivers think the COBE satelite really proves one way or another the validity of the big bang theory as opposed to the theory that the universe has always existed and that time is a man made concept? Essentially, Is the argument swayed one way or another based on the evidence of the back ground radiation of the COBE satelite ?

 

[f95toli]

Let me put it this way: The few research groups that were still pursuing alternative steady-state alternatives to Big Bang "switched teams" after seeing the data from COBE.

Also, the data from COBE is nearly 20 years old. More recent satellites (e.g Planck) have performed measurements with much higher resolution; all the data is -not surprisingly- consistent with the Big Bang scenario.

 

[land_of_ice]

Let me put it this way: The few research groups that were still pursuing alternative steady-state alternatives to Big Bang "switched teams" after seeing the data from COBE.

Also, the data from COBE is nearly 20 years old. More recent satellites (e.g Planck) have performed measurements with much higher resolution; all the data is -not surprisingly- consistent with the Big Bang scenario.

There is newer research? Other than Planck or is that the only one? How is it consistent with the big bang?

 

[f95toli]

Well, before Planck there was WMAP (around 2002 or so). But we are talking about satellites here, it is not like we can afford to launch that many of them.
Besides, the only real reason to launch a new satellite is because the technology has improved to a point where one can perform measurements that are significantly more accurate/sensitive than previous measurements.

The data is consistent with Big Bang because the fluctuations in the background radiation seen by COBE are exactly what you would expect from looking at the large scale structure of the universe today (some 13.8 billion years after Big Bang).
It has long been been generally accepted that the background radiation is a remnant of Big Bang, what COBE showed was that not only the "main signal" (the temperature) but also the "noise" are consistent with Big Bang.