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Planck
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Planck satellite. Artist's conception of the Planck satellite, showing the path that microwaves follow through the satellite. Planck
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Planck satellite.
Planck satellite.

Planck

European Space Agency satellite
Written by
Dave Dooling
Education and Public Outreach Officer, National Solar Observatory, Sacramento Peak, New Mexico. Coauthor of Engineering Tomorrow.
Dave Dooling
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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

Planck, a European Space Agency satellite, launched on May 14, 2009, that measured the cosmic microwave background (CMB), the residual radiation left over from the big bang, at a much greater sensitivity and resolution than was provided by the U.S. Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP). It was named in honour of German physicist Max Planck, a pioneer in quantum physics and in the theory of blackbody radiation. It was launched on an Ariane 5 rocket...

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