This illustration shows how cosmic textures lead to hot and cold spots in the cosmic microwave background radiation, as the microwave radiation passing through an unwinding texture receives a blue- or red-shift. WMAP (top) receives cosmic microwave radiation emitted from the very early universe. In the diagram, time runs vertically and space horizontally. Radiation released from the hot plasma of the early universe (shown as the lower ellipse) traveled through space to us at the speed of light. As the universe expands, textures of ever increasing scale form, collapse and unwind. Credit: V. Travieso and N. Turok/NASA
