The 20th Anniversary of COBE
In reviewing the NASA images of the day, I was surprised to see that I missed this. November 18, was the twentieth anniversary of the launch of NASA’s Cosmic Background Explorer (COBE), which measured and mapped the cosmic microwave background (CMB) radiation that is found throughout the universe. That data helped to provide empirical evidence to support the inflationary Big Bang theory over other cosmological theories and is celebrated as one of the most beautiful and significant images in scientific history. Below is that image of the CMB.
NASA’s Cosmic Background Explorer (COBE) satellite rocketed into Earth orbit on Nov. 18, 1989, and quickly revolutionized our understanding of the early cosmos. Developed and built at Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., COBE precisely measured and mapped the oldest light in the universe — the cosmic microwave background.
