Cosmic Infrared Background
The three pictures are maps of the sky recorded by the Cosmic Background Explorer (COBE)
spacecraft. The top picture shows the infrared (IR) radiation from the full sky. The middle picture represents the IR sky with the expected
radiation from our solar system subtracted out. The third picture (at a wavelength of 240 microns)
shows what happens when the IR from the Milky Way galaxy is removed. The remnant radiation is the cosmic infrared background. (Courtesy Michael Hauser, Space Telescope Science Institute)
This research was discussed at the Winter 1998 Meeting of the American Astronomical Society in Washington, DC.
Link to Physics News Update Item
Link to Space Telescope Science Institute news release on this topic
