LAUSR

This paper appeared in Russian in Doklady AN SSSR and in English in the translation journal Soviet Physics–Doklady. In it the cosmic radiation from galaxies in the frequency range $$10^8 \hbox {Hz}$$108Hz to $$10^{15} \hbox {Hz}$$1015Hz was estimated and shown to agree with data. It was then shown, following earlier ideas of Gamow, that the black-body cosmic microwave background from a big bang would significantly exceed the galactic radiation in the range $$10^9 \hbox {Hz}$$109Hz to $$10^{11} \hbox {Hz}$$1011Hz. This was the first accurate prediction of that background, which now plays a key role in cosmology. The first announcement of its detection came in the following year. The paper has been selected by the Editors of General Relativity and Gravitation for re-publication in the Golden Oldies series of the journal. This republication is accompanied by an editorial note written by R. Durrer and a brief autobiography by A. G. Doroshkevich: an autobiography of I. D. Novikov appeared with a previous Golden Oldie.