Penzias, Arno Allan

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Penzias, Arno Allan (1933– ) US astrophysicist, b. Germany. Penzias and Robert Wilson discovered the cosmic background radiation emanating from outer space. They detected a non-varying radio signal that is considered to be thermal energy left over from the Big Bang. Penzias and Wilson shared the 1978 Nobel Prize in physics with Peter Kapitza.

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