Probe Gets Clearest Glimpse Yet Of Cosmic Dawn

From New Scientist:

The Planck spacecraft has obtained its first peek at the afterglow of the big bang, revealing it in unprecedented detail. Its first map of the entire sky is set to be complete in about six months.

The European Space Agency spacecraft was launched into space on 14 May. It is observing the glow of hot gas from just 380,000 years after the big bang – about 13.73 billion years ago – called the cosmic microwave background.

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Planck Telescope's First Glimpse

Planck maps tiny temperature variations (the mottled colours in the strip) in nine frequency ranges overlaid here. These fluctuations correspond to the matter distribution in the early cosmos. Planck needs six months to complete a full sky map. Esa released more detailed data on the square regions.

From The BBC:

The European telescope sent far from Earth to study the oldest light in the Universe has returned its first images.

The Planck observatory, launched in May, is surveying radiation that first swept out across space just 380,000 years after the Big Bang.

The light holds details about the age, contents and evolution of the cosmos.

The new images show off Planck's capabilities now that it has been set up, although major science results are not expected for a couple of years.

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Lift-Off! Telescopes Herschel And Planck Launched To Seek Out The Origins Of The Universe

From The Daily Mail:

Two European telescopes have launched into space today which could solve the mystery surrounding the origins of the universe.

The Herschel and Planck observatories were sent into orbit together from French Guinea at 2.12pm (BST) and scientists hope they will reveal crucial stages of star birth and galaxy formation.

This will help them answer some of the most important questions in modern science, such as how did the universe begin, how did it evolve to what we see now, and how will it continue to evolve in the future?

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Telescope 'Cousins' Meet At Last

Scheduled to launch in April 2009, the Herschel and Planck space telescopes bring capabilities never before available to study the origins of stars, galaxies and the universe. The expected data might revolutionize both astrophysics and philosophy. Image from Environmental Graffitti.

From The BBC:

Europe's Herschel and Planck space telescopes have finally come together.

The satellites now share a common cleanroom at the Kourou spaceport in French Guiana, from where they will be despatched into orbit on 16 April.

The observatories have been produced as part of a joint programme that has taken more than 10 years to develop and which is worth some 1.9bn euros.

Their arrival in the S1 preparation hall at Kourou marks the first time the pair have come face to face.

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Update: Europe expects busy year in space -- BBC News