The 2012 Gruber Cosmology Prize recognises the astronomers for
their vital contribution to the study of the properties of the
Universe as a whole. The prize citation further recognises that
the measurements of the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) by
Bennett and the WMAP team have helped to transform the current
paradigm of the structure formation of the Universe from
"appealing scenario into precise science". Bennett and the WMAP
team will receive the US$ 500 000 award. In addition, Bennett
will receive a gold medal at the International Astronomical
Union meeting in Beijing, which will take place on 21 August
2012. The Big Bang theory is the prevailing cosmological model
that explains the early development and overall properties of
the Universe. According to the Big Bang theory, the Universe
rapidly expanded from an early, extremely hot and dense plasma
of photons, electrons, and protons. This primordial plasma was
an opaque fog. As the Universe expanded, it also cooled. Only
378 000 years after the initial