IMAGE 1000_99\68.Lbm,Night launch of the COBE (cosmic background explorer) satellite by Delta launch vehicle from the Vandenberg Air Force Base in California on November 30, 1989.
IMAGE 1000_99\69.Lbm,Artist's impression of COBE in Earth orbit. It looks at the universe at microwave wavelengths.
IMAGE 1000_99\70.Lbm,This all-sky map based on COBE data shows the microwave radiation given out by carbon atoms. As expected, the radiation is most intense in the plane of the galaxy (centre).
IMAGE 1000_99\71.Lbm,Effectively a cross-sectional view of our galaxy, produced from data returned by COBE at infrared wavelengths. The central bulge of the galaxy is clearly evident.
IMAGE 1000_99\72.Lbm,A full-sky map produced from COBE microwave data. It shows slight differences in temperature between different parts of the sky: pink is hot, blue is cold. Scientists think this difference is due to the motion of the solar system relative to distant matter.
xxIMAGE 1000_99\72a.Lbm,This COBE image shows slight variations in the intensity of the general background microwave radiation that permeates the universe. It indicates slight differences in the background temperature, which is some 2.7 degrees above absolute zero. Cosmologists hailed this as a breakthrough in study of the origin of the universe.
