Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Mission Complete! WMAP In 'Graveyard Orbit'

Posted by timothy on from the perpetual-care dept.

astroengine writes "The Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP) has, quite literally, changed our view of the Universe. And after nine years of mapping the slight temperature variations in the cosmic microwave background (CMB) radiation, its job is done and NASA has commanded the probe to fire itself into a 'graveyard orbit' around the sun. WMAP measured the most precise age of the universe (13.75 billion years), discovered more evidence supporting dark energy and dark matter theories, and found one or two mysteries along the way."

6 of 114 comments (clear)

  1. Why not send it plunging ... by Nutria · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    into the Sun?

    --
    "I don't know, therefore Aliens" Wafflebox1
  2. Did the slashdot mini icon thing just change? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    It looks really cool. Good work whoever snazzified it up.

    1. Re:Did the slashdot mini icon thing just change? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

      I miss html tables. CSS still acts odd, jumpy, and slow. Almost every smooth site uses tables.

  3. Re:Cosmic background radiation by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    Oh, "Real Californian". Nigga, please.

  4. Pennsylvanian here. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    My two years of witnessing 'real' Californians tells me that they're far too busy ruining food by adding useless avocado to it, to do any arse kicking.

  5. Dark matter is dark by tepples · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    dark matter is dark

    Obvious tautology is obvious. But is dark matter darker than Longcat is long?