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Voyager Clue Points To Origin of the Axis of Evil
KentuckyFC writes "Cosmologists have been scratching their heads over the discovery of a pattern imprinted on the cosmic microwave background, the radiation left over from the Big Bang. This pattern, the so-called Axis of Evil, just shouldn't be there. Now an independent researcher from Canada says the pattern may be caused by the boundary between the Solar System and interstellar space where there is a sharp change in pressure, temperature and density of ions in space. Known as the termination shock, astronomers had thought this boundary was spherical. But last year, data from the Voyager spacecraft which have crossed the boundary, showed it was asymmetric. The new thinking is that the termination shock acts like a giant lens, refracting light that passes through it. Any distortion of the lens ought to show up as a kind of imprinted pattern on an otherwise random image. But the real eye-opener is that as the shape of the termination shock changes (as the Solar Wind varies, for example), so too should the pattern in the microwave background. And there is tentative evidence that this is happening too (abstract)."
Would have been nice to find this out before ESA launched their shiny new Planck telescope to study the CMBR.
Perhaps Planck2, or whatever the next model is called, will have to travel outside the solar system to get a clear view. If so, we'll be waiting for a very long time for results from it.
So if it's changing shape, and distorts light, does that mean that it voids a majority of data we get from long range observations?
The musings of just another geek and his junk.
Be careful what you label your anomalous data. It may come back to be your new theory.
Try explaining to Americans why "The Axis of Evil" won out over conservative theory. Give the genius who thought that term up another grant... ;)
Depending on the size and nature of the effect, all of our earth observations could be tainted. While observing simple things like galaxies with Hubble are barely affected, it could possibly upset the belief that the universe is expanding. If photons are being slowed as they cross the terminal shock boundary, it would make it look like the universe was expanding in all directions, which is a belief we currently hold. If the effect is strong enough, it could even tell us its expanding when it is contracting. Though in theory, you'd be able to tell along the axis on contraction that things were a bit off. However if the universe is static or near static, it would not be discernible.
Slashdot's rate-of-post filter: Preventing you from posting too many great ideas at once.
No, it means that you need to characterise the distortion so that you can remove it from images taken inside the solar system. The same way that you characterise atmospheric effects to make corrections to images take by ground-base telescopes.
Yet still probably the most appropriate technology for the mission, unless you have a fool-proof way of describing to someone who doesn't share any languages with you how to quickly build a Bluray player.
I would like to think there are people scratching their heads trying to figure out what was here before the big bang, and more importantly where did that come from. Hopefully these CMB discoveries will move us closer to answering these questions.
I'd prefer we aviod making Replicaters, thankyouverymuch.
So does this mean torture's ok and waterboarding might prevent the heat death of the universe?
Get over yourself, you twat, whoever you are. That was funny.
Kwisatz Haderach
Sell the spice to CHOAM
This Mahdi took Shaddam's Throne
actually, before the big bang, "here" (space) didn't exist yet. "before the big bang" (time) also didn't exist.
Your evidence, Watson?
Just like the bottom of a swimming pool, the uneven pattern should change over time as the termination shock fluctuates.
I suppose we could always dumb it down, call it the universe's "missing link", get it a History channel special and a few articles in New Scientist.
Or we could just say that if it doesn't interest you enough to give it a five-minute read, you can just move on.
Here's how I visualize it for myself - you know when you play with bubble wrap, you'll get those bubbles that weren't fully sealed? Instead, you'll have a few that are interconnected. In trying to pop one, you only re-inflate another, and vice-versa. That's one way I picture a big bang/crunch scenario in a multiverse.
Of course, any talk about 'multiverses' is strictly a flight of fancy, and no more scientifically verifiable (at present) than %religiouscreationstory%. Still, it's a fun thought game.
I find it astounding that we are still managing to get useful data from these vehicles which were launched back in the 70's.
Why? I still drive a vehicle that was manufactured in the '60s.
You meant V'Ger, correct?
The two observations mentioned in the first article don't seem to rule it out.
But the termination shock has zero influence on optical photons.
The handedness paper is looking a ordinary optical images of spiral galaxies within 172 Mpc and asking, "is there any axis where if we look one way we see mostly left-handed galaxies and if we look the other way we see mostly right-handed galaxies?" Since we are in the middle of the distribution a preponderance of a particular handedness will show up as more left-handed in one direction and more right-handed in the other.
This is ordinary optical astronomy of the crudest kind: they literally look at digital photos of a few thousand galaxies and say, "Yep, looks right-handed to me..." They've done a nice job of blinding that data by randomly mirroring the images so observer bias can't affect the results.
While heliopause can plausibly affect the CMB due to changes in ionization, it cannot do the same to optical frequencies, and certainly not to a degree that would change the apparent orientation of spiral galaxies without also radically changing the apparent distribution of spiral galaxies, to the extent that we would have noticed it ages ago.
Blasphemy is a human right. Blasphemophobia kills.
We get "something from nothing" all day long, sir.
Here's some things to read about for fun:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dirac_sea
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virtual_particles
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Path_integral_formulation
Of course, the 'somethings' we get don't stick around for long, but (I am not a physicist!) I think that phenomena similar to this is how most physicists account for the big bang.
asking whether time and space existed 'before the big bang' is like asking what's north of the north pole.
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Is this the MPAA? Is this the RIAA? Is this the DMCA? I thought it was the USA!
It also seems kind of silly to call the data "evil" when it's the current scientific model that is at fault. The name almost implies, "Damn it, universe! Do what we want you to do!"
Why? I still drive a vehicle that was manufactured in the '60s.
Yes, but how many times has it been serviced since? How many parts replaced?
It is dangerous to be right when the government is wrong.
In many years of musing on this subject. I have determined that regardless of your religion or science it all boils down to one universal rule. It is completely possible to create something from nothing and we just don't know how.
Why couldn't there be time before the big bang, it just happened to have been erased when the singularity was formed.
"Action without philosophy is a lethal weapon; philosophy without action is worthless."