What did the Universe undergo 380,000 years after the big bang, and what observations prove it happened?

Question

I'd really appreciate an answer to this question.

Answer 1

http://universeadventure.org/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_the_Big_Bang#Recombination:_300.2C000_years
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cosmic_microwave_background_radiation
http://map.gsfc.nasa.gov/m_uni.html

when the universe was about 380 000 years old, the universe had expanded and cooled enuff for electrons to combine with atomic nuclei to become neutral atoms (about 74 percent hydrogen and 26 percent helium) so light was then free to pass unscattered by the free electrons. this period is called "recombination".. the universe became transparent. it had been much like a heavy fog before that. today, we see that light stretched to microwave wavelengths and call it the cosmic microwave background, and we see it in every direction in which we look even tho the universe was much smaller then. observations by nasa's microwave anisotropy probe, the cmb is at least 46 billion light-years away, but the universe is only 13.7 billion years old.

Answer 2

It cooled down enough for photons and electrons to decouple, and electromagnetic radiation was free to travel for the first time. Electrons slowed down enough to join up with protons.
There was light. The variations in the cosmic microwave background measured by COBE and the WMAP probes.

Answer 3

Easy. The proof, first of all, is that the universe is constantly expanding. Its like if you blow up a balloon with a pattern on it, the pattern will gradually get larger.

Answer 4

i believe that galaxies started to form... at least that is what i can remember from memory.

It would be too early for stars to form, and way too early for planets.

Answer 5

squeakity squeakin squeakers... uh huh....