What Mark Whittle has said about Cosmic microwave background

2 quotes · 1 episode · Sep 18, 2026

Mark Whittle, Professor of astronomy at the University of Virginia who sonifies the early universe, has been quoted on Cosmic microwave background 2 times in 1 episode of TED Radio Hour, most recently on September 18, 2026. Each quote below is verbatim and links to the moment it was said.

In their words

  • Whittle explains that light leaving the young universe at micron wavelengths was stretched by expansion into millimeter-scale microwaves.

    “they started out as light, leaving the young universe with wavelengths of about a millionth of a metre. That's a micron. And they arrived a thousand times longer”

    TED Radio Hour: Big mysteries explained through your senses (Sep 18, 2026) · Listen from 8:23

  • Whittle says wave analysis of the microwave background revealed a fundamental and harmonics, the signature of a musical instrument or human voice.

    “not only were these waves basically acoustic waves, but also there was a fundamental of harmonics. And that is exactly the signature of something like a musical instrument or a human voice”

    TED Radio Hour: Big mysteries explained through your senses (Sep 18, 2026) · Listen from 10:54

Episodes

Mark Whittle on other topics