Open AccessScientific results from the Cosmic Background Explorer (COBE)
Author(s) -
C. L. Bennett,
N. W. Boggess,
E. S. Cheng,
M. G. Hauser,
T. Kelsall,
John C. Mather,
S. H. Moseley,
T. L. Murdock,
R. A. Shafer,
R. F. Silverberg,
George F. Smoot,
R. Weiss,
E. L. Wright
Publication year - 1993
Publication title -
proceedings of the national academy of sciences of the united states of america
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 5.011
H-Index - 771
eISSN - 1091-6490
pISSN - 0027-8424
DOI - 10.1073/pnas.90.11.4766
Subject(s) - cosmic infrared background , cosmic microwave background , physics , astrophysics , infrared , astronomy , cosmic cancer database , galaxy , cosmic background radiation , brightness , anisotropy , optics
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has flown the COBE satellite to observe the Big Bang and the subsequent formation of galaxies and large-scale structure. Data from the Far-Infrared Absolute Spectrophotometer (FIRAS) show that the spectrum of the cosmic microwave background is that of a black body of temperatureT = 2.73 ± 0.06 K, with no deviation from a black-body spectrum greater than 0.25% of the peak brightness. The data from the Differential Microwave Radiometers (DMR) show statistically significant cosmic microwave background anisotropy, consistent with a scale-invariant primordial density fluctuation spectrum. Measurements from the Diffuse Infrared Background Experiment (DIRBE) provide new conservative upper limits to the cosmic infrared background. Extensive modeling of solar system and galactic infrared foregrounds is required for further improvement in the cosmic infrared background limits.