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General Discussion => Science & Nature => Topic started by: sam on July 21, 2010, 14:43

Title: WISE Mission Completes All-sky Infrared Survey
Post by: sam on July 21, 2010, 14:43

Quote
If you take a lot of digital pictures, you're probably familiar with the frustration of keeping track of dozens of files, and always running out of hard drive space to store them. Well, the scientists and engineers on NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) mission have no pity for you. Their spacecraft just finished photographing the entire sky in exquisite detail: a total of 1.3 million photos.

http://www.universetoday.com/2010/07/20/wise-mission-completes-all-sky-infrared-survey/
Title: Re: WISE Mission Completes All-sky Infrared Survey
Post by: Clive on July 21, 2010, 16:36
They are still making discoveries from the IRAS data from 1983.  WISE is much more sensitive and will provide astronomers with research material for decades to come.  That picture of the Pleiades is the best I've seen.
Title: Re: WISE Mission Completes All-sky Infrared Survey
Post by: GillE on July 21, 2010, 23:56
The Pleiades is beautiful, even when seen with just a pair of binoculars.
Title: Re: WISE Mission Completes All-sky Infrared Survey
Post by: sam on July 22, 2010, 02:08
They are still making discoveries from the IRAS data from 1983.  WISE is much more sensitive and will provide astronomers with research material for decades to come.  That picture of the Pleiades is the best I've seen.

its just fantastic. I use the NVSS for research, I'm publishing the definitive (well to the faintest ever completed) understanding of how radio sources evolve (hopefully) with it soon, and that's 20 years old. Nowt wrong with the archives.
Title: Re: WISE Mission Completes All-sky Infrared Survey
Post by: sam on July 22, 2010, 02:09
The Pleiades is beautiful, even when seen with just a pair of binoculars.

I'd agree with that, actually its pretty stunning with just the naked eye.
Title: Re: WISE Mission Completes All-sky Infrared Survey
Post by: Clive on July 22, 2010, 08:34
It's always a sign that autumn is on the way when the Pleiades can be seen on the eastern horizon.
Title: Re: WISE Mission Completes All-sky Infrared Survey
Post by: sam on July 22, 2010, 14:06
yeah indeed. Looking forward to autumn.