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When was the Planck satellite launched to study the cosmic microwave background?
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Cosmic microwave background
A full-sky map produced by the Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP) showing cosmic background radiation, a very uniform glow of microwaves emitted by the infant universe more than 13 billion years ago. Color differences indicate tiny fluctuations in the intensity of the radiation, a result of tiny variations in the density of matter in the early universe. According to inflation theory, these irregularities were the “seeds” that became the galaxies. WMAP's data support the big bang and inflation models, and cosmic microwave background is at the farthest limits of the observable universe.
The Planck satellite was launched on May 14, 2009. It was designed to measure the cosmic microwave background with significantly higher sensitivity and resolution than its predecessor, the Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe.1