NASA in the news.

[questio verum]

Their launch today is particularly exciting with the satellites "Herschel" and "Planck". Given what Hubble has revealed in it's time so far one can only wonder what what these two will find.

Even as someone who could not be described as an astronomy buff, these are still exciting times.

Great linkage, Elija. I watched all the videos and read most of the text. Damn worthy missions, both of them. I believe we'll be hearing much about them in the future. The Planck mission I find especially exciting. As you may, or may not know, the rate of universal inflation is accelerating. I believe the Planck mission will, in the future, be seen as a pivotal mission.

I'm also curious to see what, if anything, Planck will tell us about the phenomenom known as 'the WMAP cold spot'. The WMAP cold spot is a void in the universe that is over one billion light-years across, and by all observations contains no matter. Not even dark matter. A puzzle for sure. If Planck only answered that one mystery, it would be a success. But I suspect it will answer far more than one mystery. And will likely pose as many as it answers.

qv

[elija]

Latest on Planck for those following the mission

BBC NEWS | Science & Environment | Planck achieves ultra-cold state