The universe is talking to us – the only problem is we can’t always hear what it has to say, because it speaks in a variety of wavelengths that we can’t see or listen to without special technology.

The sounds coming from space cover the whole range of the electromagnetic spectrum, from very energetic gamma rays to lower energy radio waves. We can only see a small part of this spectrum (visible light), so astronomers have developed special equipment to allow us to observe other wavelengths. On Earth, radio telescopes - like the 250ft ‘dish’ at Jodrell Bank - bring radio waves into focus from beyond the Solar System.

Cosmic microwave background radiation is the last echo of the ‘big bang’, which happened 13.8 thousand million years ago when our universe was created. Much of the electromagnetic spectrum is absorbed by the Earth’s atmosphere, so instruments on orbiting satellites collect information on infra-red, gamma rays and x-rays.