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Weekend


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May 16, 2003

Strange But True!

  • A weekly column of incidental information, off-the-wall observations and other random facts about the world.
    • By BILL SONES and RICH SONES, Ph.D.
    Special to the Journal

    Q. Just turn on your TV set to witness the ghostly emanations of a long, long ago rather hallowed event, a chapter of cosmic creation. Do you know what time, what channel?

    A. Any time you tune to a channel not used by your local cable company or network affiliates and see "snow" on the screen will do, say Vern Ostdiek and Donald Bord in "Inquiry into Physics." The snow -- if you can believe it -- is partly due to microwave radiation left over from the fiery explosion of space and time some 15-20 billion years ago, the formation of the universe popularly known as the "Big Bang." This radiation is picked up by your set as "noise."


     
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