[The Cajun]

The Dec issue of Astronomy magazine has an interesting article about some non symmetry of the background microwave radiation that might indicate something such as that it is not way out there at the edge of the universe but right here in the solar system. Or not, but it’s another question about the universe, which is not turning out to be at all what has been expected.

Wouldn't it be a big kick in the butt that a lot of what we think we know about the CMB is bogus. Me thinks there is a good chance that the small variations seen in the CMB are caused by local influences (solar system neighborhood) rather than cosmic. Many a theory (universe flat and not opened or closed, etc, etc) based on CMB interpretations may be fixing to fall.

[RightWhale]

interpretations may be fixing to fall.

That would be a positive development. It's typical in the age of earth satellites that when the data starts coming in then the ozone hole is noticed and the greenies immediately sound an alarm simply because the effect had not been seen before.