Far Infrared Absolute Spectrophotometer
E1036260
cosmic microwave background instrument
far‑infrared spectrometer
space telescope instrument
spectrophotometer
The Far Infrared Absolute Spectrophotometer (FIRAS) was a key instrument on NASA’s COBE satellite designed to precisely measure the spectrum of the cosmic microwave background, confirming its near-perfect blackbody nature.
Statements (49)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
cosmic microwave background instrument
ⓘ
far‑infrared spectrometer ⓘ space telescope instrument ⓘ spectrophotometer ⓘ |
| abbreviation | FIRAS NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| associatedAward | 2006 Nobel Prize in Physics NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| blackbodyFitQuality | deviations less than parts in 10^5 ⓘ |
| confirmed | near‑perfect blackbody spectrum of the cosmic microwave background ⓘ |
| constrained |
Compton y‑distortion of the CMB
ⓘ
chemical potential (mu) distortions of the CMB ⓘ spectral distortions of the cosmic microwave background ⓘ |
| contributedTo |
establishing the Big Bang model of cosmology
ⓘ
precision determination of the CMB spectrum ⓘ |
| cosmologicalParameterMeasured | CMB monopole temperature ⓘ |
| countryOfOrigin |
United States of America
ⓘ
surface form:
United States
|
| dataRelease | COBE FIRAS data products ⓘ |
| dataUsage |
constraints on reionization and structure formation models
ⓘ
tests of early‑universe energy release ⓘ |
| fieldOfView | about 7 degrees ⓘ |
| found | no significant deviation from a perfect blackbody spectrum ⓘ |
| frequencyRange | approximately 30 GHz to 3000 GHz ⓘ |
| fullName | Far Infrared Absolute Spectrophotometer NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| hostedBy | NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (project management) NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| launchDate | 1989-11-18 ⓘ |
| launchSite | Vandenberg Air Force Base NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| launchVehicle | Delta 5920-8 NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| locatedOn | COBE payload module NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| measuredCMBTemperature | approximately 2.725 K ⓘ |
| measurementType |
absolute spectrophotometry
ⓘ
differential radiometry ⓘ |
| mission | COBE mission NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| operator | NASA ⓘ |
| primaryObjective |
measure the spectrum of the cosmic microwave background radiation
ⓘ
test the blackbody nature of the cosmic microwave background ⓘ |
| referenceSource |
external calibrator at controlled temperature
ⓘ
on‑board blackbody calibrators ⓘ |
| scanStrategy | full‑sky coverage over mission lifetime ⓘ |
| scienceDiscipline |
astrophysics
ⓘ
cosmology ⓘ |
| spacecraft |
COBE
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Cosmic Background Explorer NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| spectralResolution | about 0.5 cm^-1 ⓘ |
| status | decommissioned ⓘ |
| teamLead | John C. Mather NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| temperatureMeasurementAccuracy | about 0.1 mK relative to a 2.7 K blackbody ⓘ |
| usedTechnique |
Fourier transform spectroscopy
ⓘ
polarizing Michelson interferometer ⓘ |
| verifiedPredictionOf | standard hot Big Bang theory ⓘ |
| wavelengthRange | approximately 0.1 cm to 1 cm ⓘ |
Referenced by (1)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.