Stephen Hawkings leaves his mark (Image: NASA/WMAP Science Team) We saw an intergalactic zoo. Clockwise from top left: Phoenix, a donkey, a parrot and a deer (Image: NASA/WMAP Science Team)

Is Stephen Hawking a galactic graffiti artist? Hidden away in the cosmic microwave background, the afterglow of the big bang, the initials “SH” are clear to view (see picture, right). We took a closer look and spotted a donkey, a deer and a parrot.


Interactive graphic: What’s hidden in the cosmic microwave background?

NASA’s Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe team, who have just released their most detailed map yet of the CMB, used Hawking’s initials to draw attention to a serious point.

With each new round of WMAP data – the latest is based on seven years of data – apparent anomalies called “anisotropies” in the CMB have puzzled physicists. Such patterns have also been used to justify various exotic theories.

One notorious anomaly is the “axis of evil“, an apparent alignment in the hot and cold regions where there should be randomness. Another is the “cold spot“, a particularly large void in the CMB, which some have proposed is evidence of another universe nestling next to our own.

The WMAP team point out that if something as apparently unlikely as Hawking’s initials can be found in the CMB data, then the chances of finding other apparently improbable patterns may also be quite high. “I do think there is a bit of a psychological effect,” says WMAP’s chief scientist Charles Bennett. “People want to find unusual things.”

Spot the rabbit

New Scientist wondered what other hidden objects may be lurking in the big bang’s afterglow, so we need your help. If you think you can see your initials, the face of Jesus or a unicorn, mark it in this interactive image.

To get the ball rolling, we started stocking a CMB zoo. Curiously, most of the animals we found are facing the same way. Clearly, it’s a zoological cosmic alignment.

Journal reference: arxiv.org/abs/1001.4758

Interactive graphic: What’s hidden in the cosmic microwave background?