How old was the universe when the radiation that forms the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) was emitted?
Answer
About 380,000 years old.
The Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) radiation represents the relic light or afterglow from a specific epoch in cosmic history. This light was emitted when the universe cooled sufficiently for neutral atoms to form, decoupling the matter and radiation. This event occurred when the universe was very young, specifically calculated to be around 380,000 years following the Big Bang. Before this time, the universe was an opaque plasma soup, but afterward, photons could travel freely, resulting in the faint, ancient light signature we detect today as the CMB.

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