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n-focus: Adrian Cho COSMOLOGY: A Singular Conundrum: How Odd Is Our Universe? Science 2007; 317: 1848-1850 [Summary] [Full text] [PDF]

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Oddity of WMAP Spherical Harmonics

Dilip G. Banhatti   (20 March 2008)

Oddity of WMAP Spherical Harmonics 20 March 2008
Dilip G. Banhatti, Research and teaching Madurai-Kamaraj University, Madurai 625021, India Respond to this E-Letter: Re: Oddity of WMAP Spherical Harmonics	The systematically arranged multipoles surely indicate local matter-energy distribution, especially relative to the Milky Way Plane, which must be subtracted for any such reduction (News Focus by A. Cho, "A singular conundrum: How odd is our universe?", 28 September 2008, p. 1848). So also must telescope surroundings, in the form of host satellite orientation and orbit relative to Earth, be taken into account. Connection between these two points is provided by the orientation of the ecliptic relative to galactic plane. Our solar system's location in our home arm of the Milky Way spiral structure may also be relevant. Only after these instrumental and local (i.e., solar system and galactic) effects are factored in, one needs to go further out into the Local Group (Andromeda, Large and Small Magellanic Clouds, other members like Leos, and so on). If another satellite telescope with a significantly different orbit and/or location gives differently arranged multipoles, these will indicate which are the instrumental and local environmental effects. Dilip G. Banhatti, Madurai-Kamaraj University, Madurai 625021, India.