Cosmic inflation stretched the early universe faster than light
Cosmic inflation rapidly expanded the early universe, smoothing it out and explaining its remarkable uniformity and the origins of cosmic structures.
Just fractions of a second after the Big Bang, the universe underwent an extraordinary growth spurt called cosmic inflation. Space itself expanded exponentially, growing by a factor of at least 10^26 in a tiny sliver of time. This expansion was faster than light, yet didn't violate relativity because space itself was stretching, not objects moving through it.
There's more to this story — open the app to keep reading.
Continue Reading in App
1 more paragraphs · plus a 4-question quiz