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Early results from the Cosmic Background Explorer (COBE)The Cosmic Background Explorer, launched 18 Nov. 1989, has nearly completed its first full mapping of the sky with all three of its instruments: A Far Infrared Absolute Spectrometer (FIRAS) covering 0.1 to 10 mm, a set of Differential Microwave Radiometers (DMR) operating at 3.3, 5.7, and 9.6 mm, and a diffuse Infrared Background Experiment (DIRBE) spanning 1 to 300 microns in ten bands. A preliminary map of the sky derived from DIRBE data is presented. Initial cosmological implications include: a limit on the comptonization parameter of 0.001, on the chemical potential parameter of 0.01, a strong limit on the existence of a hot smooth intergalactic medium, and a confirmation that the dipole anisotropy has the spectrum expected from a Doppler shift of a blackbody. There are no significant anisotropies in the microwave sky detected, other than from our own galaxy and a cos theta dipole anisotropy whose amplitude and direction agree with previous data. At shorter wavelengths, the sky spectrum and anisotropies are dominated by emission from local sources of emission within our Galaxy and Solar System. Preliminary comparison of IRAS (Infrared Astronomical Satellite) and DRIBE sky brightnesses toward the ecliptic poles shows the IRAS values to be significantly higher than found by DRIBE at 100 microns. The presence of gain and zero point errors in the IRAS total brightness data is suggested. The spacecraft, instrument designs, and data reduction methods are described.
Document ID
19910012675
Acquisition Source
Legacy CDMS
Document Type
Conference Paper
Authors
Mather, J. C.
(NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD., United States)
Hauser, M. G.
(NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD., United States)
Bennett, C. L.
(NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD., United States)
Boggess, N. W.
(NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD., United States)
Cheng, E. S.
(NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD., United States)
Eplee, R. E., Jr.
(NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD., United States)
Freudenreich, H. T.
(NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD., United States)
Gulkis, S.
(Jet Propulsion Lab. California Inst. of Tech., Pasadena., United States)
Isaacman, R. B.
(NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD., United States)
Janssen, M.
(NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD, United States)
Date Acquired
September 6, 2013
Publication Date
December 1, 1990
Publication Information
Publication: ESA, From Ground-Based to Space-Borne Sub-mm Astronomy
Subject Category
Astronomy
Accession Number
91N21988
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Other
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