WMAP Universe Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe Poster

The Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP) was a revolutionary NASA mission launched in 2001 to map the cosmic microwave background (CMB) radiation. The CMB is a faint afterglow of the Big Bang, providing a snapshot of the universe when it was just 380,000 years old. - WMAP's observations led to several groundbreaking discoveries, including the precise age of the universe (13.77 billion years), its composition (4.9% ordinary matter, 26.8% dark matter, 68.3% dark energy), and its flat geometry. The mission also provided strong support for the theory of cosmic inflation, a period of rapid expansion in the early universe. - WMAP's impact on cosmology is profound. Its precise measurements have provided a solid foundation for our current understanding of the universe. While it was eventually succeeded by the Planck satellite, WMAP remains a landmark mission in the history of astronomy and cosmology.