- Notable satellite observatories
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▪ TableNotable satellite observatoriesname nationality years inservice discoveries/notable featuresRadio (wavelengths less than 0.1 cm)Cosmic Background Explorer (COBE) (Cosmic Background Explorer) U.S. 1989–93 mapped cosmic microwave background from the big bangVLBI Space Observatory Programme (VSOP) Japan 1997–2005 joined with radio telescopes (telescope) on Earth to form an array 33,000 km acrossInfrared (wavelengths between 0.1 cm and 7 × 10−5 cm)Infrared Astronomical Satellite (IRAS) (Infrared Astronomical Satellite) U.S./U.K./Netherlands 1983 first space observatory to map the entire sky at infrared wavelengthsSpitzer Space Telescope U.S. 2003– studied atmospheres of extrasolar planets (extrasolar planet)Optical (wavelengths between 4 × 10−5 and 7 × 10−5 cm)Hubble Space Telescope (HST) (Hubble Space Telescope) U.S./ESA 1990– accurately determined the rate of the universe's expansionUltraviolet (wavelengths between 4 × 10−5 and 10−8 cm)International Ultraviolet Explorer (IUE) (International Ultraviolet Explorer) U.S./U.K./ESA 1978–96 observed light ring around Supernova 1987ASolar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) (Solar and Heliospheric Observatory) U.S./ESA 1995– studied sunspots (sunspot) on the far side of the SunX-ray (wavelengths between 10−8 and 10−11 cm)Röntgensatellit (ROSAT) Germany 1990–99 surveyed the entire skyChandra X-ray Observatory U.S. 1999– found direct proof of the existence of dark matterGamma-ray (wavelengths less than 10−11 cm)Compton Gamma Ray Observatory (CGRO) (Compton Gamma Ray Observatory) U.S. 1991–99 showed that gamma-ray bursts (gamma-ray burster) happened outside the Milky WaySwift U.S. 2004– studied hundreds of gamma-ray burstsSee as table:
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Universalium. 2010.