Extragalactic background light

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The Extragalactic Background Light (EBL) or simply the "extragalactic background" (EGB) is the faint diffuse light of the night sky, consisting of the combined flux of all extragalactic sources. Its main significance for astronomers is that it contains information regarding the history and formation of other galaxies, and also the large-scale structure of the universe.

[edit] Phenomenological description

The extragalactic background is usually divided into six wavelength ranges, which do not follow strictly the usual domains of the electromagnetic spectrum:

• CGB: Cosmic gamma-ray background
• CXB: Cosmic X-ray background
• CUVOB: Cosmic ultra-violet and optical background
• CIB: Cosmic infrared background
• CMB: Cosmic microwave background
• CRB: Cosmic radio background

[edit] See also

Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) radiation