375-microwave-probe-dixon – The Microwave Anisotropy Probe (MAP) spacecraft floats in deep space, deploying its back-to-back primary reflectors to measure temperature fluctuations in the cosmic microwave background. A large, circular golden thermal shield protects the sensitive instruments from solar radiation, keeping them oriented away from the distant, eclipsed Sun and Earth visible on the left. Dual translucent pink scan paths extend from the telescope's optics into the background starfield, slicing across a diffuse band of zodiacal light. digital painting by Don Dixon for Scientific American
Click to open this image within the album!
