The cosmic comic: Riding early waves

Two fictitious high-spirited scientists of the institute, passionate surfers, take off to visit the early Universe. Not to do serious research there but to experience the ultimate ride on the plasma waves of the big bang. However, they quickly realize that they would be stuck without their knowledge of the physics of the early Universe. This is not meant to replace textbooks or scientific texts but to guide the reader in an amusing way through a series of phenomena of cosmic microwave background. Even one of the unsolved puzzles of cosmology - the strange "Cold Spot" in the microwave background - receives a new explanation.

The knowledge is always passed on casually via the story. The internet comic contains short, interactively selectable background information on the early Universe which leads to more detailed external internet pages about physics and cosmology. In this way a broader audience can be reached: youth that could be attracted by the unusual surfer story; interested amateurs who get an entertaining introduction into microwave background; and finally teachers who may use the material for illustrating their lessons.

This comic was created by the Ensslin brothers Torsten and Jojo. Torsten Ensslin is a cosmologist at MPA and heads the German participation in the Planck Satellite mission. Jojo Enßlin is a freelance illustrator, surfer and cofounder of the "Galerie Revolver" in Duesseldorf. MPA is one of the leading research institutes for theoretical astrophysics, and cosmology is one of its major research areas.

More information: The cosmic comic: Riding early waves

Provided by Max Planck Institute