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View of the Andromeda Galaxy (Messier 31, M31).
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Microvariability and Oscillations of Stars
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MOST

Canadian orbiting telescope
Also known as: Microvariability and Oscillations of Stars
Written by
Erik Gregersen
Erik Gregersen is a senior editor at Encyclopaedia Britannica, specializing in the physical sciences and technology. Before joining Britannica in 2007, he worked at the University of Chicago Press on the...
Erik Gregersen
Fact-checked by
Britannica Editors
Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....
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History

MOST, Canadian telescope that studied physical processes in stars and properties of extrasolar planets. MOST was launched on June 30, 2003, from Plestek, Russia, and was Canada’s first space telescope. It was a small spacecraft that weighed about 60 kg (130 pounds) and carried a telescope 15 cm (6 inches) in diameter. It discovered that the planet orbiting HD 209458 has a very low albedo (that is, it does not reflect much of its star’s light). The Canadian government ended funding of the MOST mission in 2014. The satellite was then bought by Microsat Systems Canada, which operated it until its power supply ran down in March 2019.

Erik Gregersen