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WMAP

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description WMAP Overview

The Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP) was a NASA space mission that studied the cosmic microwave background radiation. This ancient light, leftover from the Big Bang, contains crucial information about the early universe. WMAP’s precise measurements of these subtle temperature variations allowed scientists to determine the age of the universe – approximately 13.8 billion years – and accurately model its composition including dark matter and dark energy. The data is primarily used by cosmologists and astrophysicists researching the origins and evolution of the cosmos.

help WMAP FAQ

What exactly did WMAP measure?

WMAP mapped tiny temperature differences in the cosmic microwave background, light released roughly 375,000 years after the Big Bang. Those variations helped scientists constrain the universe's age, geometry, and composition.

Where did WMAP observe from?

The spacecraft operated around the Sun-Earth L2 region, far beyond low Earth orbit. NASA launched it aboard a Delta II rocket on June 30, 2001.

How long did the WMAP mission last?

Its nominal observing mission was planned for about two years, but the spacecraft ultimately collected nine years of data. NASA ended WMAP observations in 2010 and later published final nine-year maps.

How was WMAP different from the Planck mission?

WMAP was a NASA mission launched in 2001, while the European Space Agency launched Planck in 2009 with greater angular resolution and broader frequency coverage. Planck refined many cosmological parameters after WMAP had established a precision-cosmology benchmark.

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