#1365: Inflation explain

[Megan sits at a computer, conversing with Ponytail.]

Megan: Imprinted on the sky are the gravity waves that were sloshing across the universe when it was this big.

Megan: So really, we’re using the entire universe as a giant microscope pointed at itself when it was small.

[Megan turns to face the computer.]

Ponytail: That’s neat.

Megan: Yeah. But…

Ponytail: But what?

Megan: Well, look.

Ponytail: Oh. Hmm.

Megan: Yeah.

Ponytail: What…

Megan: I don’t know.

[Below is an image of the universe showing the cosmic microwave background, featuring a series of circles and the Spalding basketball logo, as though the universe had been imprinted with the image of a basketball.]