Spectrum Scientifics Blog

If all goes well this Friday NASA will be launching its WISE (Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer) satellite. This will scan the skies in the infrared with much greater sensitivity than ever before. NASA expects that WISE will uncover comets, cooler stars and other celestial objects that cannot be seen in the visible spectrum.

The heart of WISE is a telescope, some 16 inches in diameter, and four ‘million-pixel’ detectors that are so sensitive they must be kept at a mere 12 degrees above Absolute Zero (12 Kelvin).

The hope of WISE is to generate a much more accurate map of the night skies.

WISE has a home page where you can learn more, as well as a Facebook Page updating you on the mission.

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Filed under: Astronomy, NASA, Telescopes