MAP starts its observations

Prof. Edward L. (Ned) Wright of UCLA Physics & Astronomy is the data team leader on the Microwave Anisotropy Probe (MAP), which reached its observing station at the second Lagrange point (L2) in the Earth-Sun system on 1 Oct 2001 after a three month cruise following launch on 30 June 2001.

MAP mission decal

MAP will measure the microKelvin temperature differences in the cosmic microwave background (CMB) that reveal the structure of the Universe at the time of recombination, a few hundred thousand years after the Big Bang. MAP will map the entire sky 4 times over the next 24 months, providing a treasure trove of information about cosmology.

Edward L. Wright, 2 Oct 2001