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Planck

Planck

Designed to study ancient radiation from the big bang, the Planck space telescope was a European Space Agency mission that aimed to better understand the origin of the universe and the formation of galaxies.

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Mission Statistics

Launch Date

May 14, 2009

Type

Orbiter

Target

Stars and Galaxies

Status

Past

About the mission

Designed to study ancient radiation from the big bang, the Planck space telescope was a European Space Agency mission that aimed to better understand the origin of the universe and the formation of galaxies. Planck produced its first all-sky image in 2010, and scientists are currently working to analyze and parse the various and complex elements. Analysis has already highlighted numerous star-forming clouds across the Milky Way galaxy as well as a previously invisible population of galaxies covered in dust billions of years old.

NASA had significant participation in the Planck mission, which used instruments from the agency's Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

Instruments

  • Low Frequency Instrument (LFI)
  • High Frequency Instrument (HFI)

More about Stars and Galaxies

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What's Up - March 2023

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NASA’s Webb Reveals Intricate Networks of Gas, Dust in Nearby Galaxies

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What's Up - February 2023

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What's Up - January 2023

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NASA Gets Unusually Close Glimpse of Black Hole Snacking on Star

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What's Up - December 2022

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VP Harris, French President Get First Look at Galactic Get-Together

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Baby Star ‘Burps’ Tell Tales of Frantic Feeding, NASA Data Shows

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NASA, ESA Reveal Tale of Death, Dust in Orion Constellation

› Mission Website
› NASA Mission Page
› Planck Information on National Space Science Data Center
› ESA Mission Page
› Planck on Twitter

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