When the Lights First Turned on in the Universe

The Big Bang, as many cosmologists like to point out, was not very banging. Nothing exploded. But that doesn't mean it wasn't a busy and exciting event. The rush of inflation was a powerful outpouring of energy, which certainly included light. And yet, the energy contained in that early universe was such that light couldn't even escape. For light to be seen, by telescopes or eyes of any species, it needs to be able to travel from its source to the observer. But the universe when it first exi