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)."

Why should we care?

[cromar]

It all sounds very interesting and important and technical, but what does it all mean? Dammit! What does it all mean, man?

too (abstract)

[OglinTatas]

I tried to understand this, but it was too (abstract)

Now we just need to wait...

[Xerolooper]

until Voyager returns from the edge as Vyger and answers all our questions or are we in an alternate timeline now?

Re:Why should we care?

[DamageLabs]

It means that the end of the world is imminent.

Quick, grab that towel!

Axis of Evil

[Anonymous Coward]

Has anyone checked Iran, Iraq and North Korea for traces of this radiation?

Re:Why should we care?

[Anonymous Coward]

It means that in the next two to five years we can confidently expect the development and release of FTL travel, zero-point energy, a cure for mortality, replicator technology and hot green alien nymphomaniac bikini chicks. From Mars.

Now do you care?

I'm not getting it

[jollyreaper]

So does this mean torture's ok and waterboarding might prevent the heat death of the universe?

Re:Now we just need to wait...

[Shakrai]

until Voyager returns from the edge as Vyger and terminates the carbon unit infestation that's preventing contact with the creator

Fixed that for you.

Extrasolar Hubble?

[Anonymous Coward]

So now we have to deploy a telescope outside the termination shock to get accurate pictures of the Universe? And we just spent all that money upgrading Hubble!

Re:Why should we care?

[AgentUSA]

Only if I hear about it in a Steve Jobs keynote.

Re:A week too late.

[huckamania]

Gee, I can't see how being able to map out the boundary of the Solar System we live in could be beneficial to science. We should all crawl back into our caves and shine our clubs for the coming Ice Age.

Re:Fascinating stuff

[baKanale]

a "golden record", which is technology long since obsolete here on earth

Tell that to the audiophiles.

Re:Why should we care?

[Will.Woodhull]

I think it means that we now don't have to worry about the inflationary theory, so it will be easier to solve the economic crisis with Obama bucks.

Or something like that. But I'm no rocket surgeon.

Re:Why should we care?

[Cowmonaut]

Replicators as in StarTrek, not Replicators as in StarGate. Because in America, I totally need another way to get junk food conveniently without moving from my couch.

I'm very dissapointed

[Anonymous Coward]

What the hell? You weren't supposed to explain something complex in simple terms anyone can understand. This is Slashdot. You were supposed to be condescending and use lots of obscure jargon and abbreviations.

For example:
"Idiot! RTFA! If you didn't spend your life just sitting on your fat ass (I bet you are a virgin too) instead of attempting to read the article you would've CLEARLY read that the Zegot axis is the determinate for the UU' and OO' deviations. This is why light is obscured by Heymann variations in a GERT framework. There, even a moron like yourself can understand that."

Next time at least toss in a reference to a cultish Sci-Fi show that is about to be canceled or a jab at someone's choice of operating system.

Re:Now we just need to wait...

[mdm-adph]

Funny, I had always just assumed that movie was in an alternate timeline... >_

Re:Shouldn't?

[Aqualung812]

Scientific: "According to my theory, that shouldn't be there. But it is. So what's wrong with my data?"

Fixed

Re:Epoch Fail

[JustOK]

I took a cow to church one Sunday. After, I asked it what it thought. It said it was Moooving.

Re:Now we just need to wait...

[Hoi Polloi]

carbon unit infestation

There are shampoos that'll fix that.

Re:Why should we care?

[fataugie]

Or ones that get released from the space shuttle and re-enter the atmosphere to land and drive home.

I prefer the South Park treatment, Trans-Am, big Boobie girl wearing a jaunty hat.

Re:Why should we care?

[Captain Splendid]

I totally need another way to get junk food conveniently without moving from my couch.

Go away! I'm 'bating!

Re:Why should we care?

[GNious]

I read it as "a cure for morality", and though to myself .."yes, that could actually be nice."

Re:Why should we care?

[nyctopterus]

RACIST

Re:Why should we care?

[Remus Shepherd]

Having someone modded 'Troll' calling another person racist for not liking green skin... ...actually, makes a sort of sense.

Re:Why should we care?

[Tubal-Cain]

I think Tubal-Cain's choice of the spelling on the word implies its disambiguation.

Or it's a typo.

Axis of Evil?

[Xaroth]

I could've sworn that 'yaw' was the axis of evil.

Re:Why Axis of Evil?

[Tablizer]

newspaper industry...its just that people have gotten a hold of a buzz word or phrase that they know will make headlines so they run with it no matter if it makes sense or not.

Let's test that theory: start a rumor that Michael Vick is starting a website called "slashdog".
   

Re:Why should we care?

[Merls the Sneaky]

Goatos?