CMB_4YRS Caption:

		COBE-DMR Map of the Early Universe

This false-color image shows tiny variations in the intensity of the
cosmic microwave background measured in four years of observations by
the Differential Microwave Radiometers on NASA's Cosmic Background
Explorer (COBE). The cosmic microwave background is widely believed to
be a remnant of the Big Bang; the blue and red spots correspond to
regions of greater or lesser density in the early Universe. These
"fossilized" relics record the distribution of matter and energy in the
early Universe before the matter became organized into stars and
galaxies. While the initial discovery of variations in the intensity of
the CMB (made by COBE in 1992) was based on a mathematical examination
of the data, the new picture of the sky from the full four-year mission
gives an accurate visual impression of the data.  The features traced
in this map stretch across the visible Universe: the largest features
seen by optical telescopes, such as the "Great Wall" of galaxies, would
fit neatly within the smallest feature in this map.

Caption courtesy of Dr. Charles L. Bennett

Please credit "NASA Goddard Space Flight Center and the COBE Science
Working Group" if you publish this image.