What are the preliminary results from the Planck First Light Survey?

[Chalnoth]

The Planck team have put out a press release their (very preliminary) results for the First Light Survey:
http://www.esa.int/SPECIALS/Planck/SEM5CMFWNZF_0.html

The basic gist: the instrument is working, and it's already producing higher-resolution and lower-noise maps than WMAP offers at the same frequency bands, and Planck offers a much wider range of frequencies (WMAP = 5 channels from 23GHz to 94GHz, Planck = 9 channels from 30GHz to 857GHz). No science results yet, as there are many things that can't be done until Planck surveys the whole sky at least twice.

More in-depth information is available here:
http://sci.esa.int/science-e/www/object/index.cfm?fobjectid=45543

 

[marcus]

Great news!

 

[jnorman]

my gob, what an incredibly beautiful piece of technology...i don't recall where the funding came from for this effort, but whoever they are, thank you thank you.

 

[Chalnoth]

my gob, what an incredibly beautiful piece of technology...i don't recall where the funding came from for this effort, but whoever they are, thank you thank you.

Haha, it's a joint ESA/NASA mission :)