1933-

German-American physicist who, with R. W. Wilson, first detected cosmic background radiation. This diffuse glow coming from all over the sky is most likely a remnant of the Big Bang, and is one of the strongest pieces of evidence supporting the Big Bang theory. This work earned Penzias and Wilson the 1978 Nobel Prize in physics. Penzias worked for Bell Laboratories for many years. He has also written a book about the impact of computers on society.