Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer

Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) was a NASA space telescope that mapped the entire sky in infrared light from Earth orbit. Its cryogen-cooled survey revealed asteroids, brown dwarfs, and distant galaxies.

Infrared astronomy: The study of astronomical objects through infrared radiation, which lies beyond red light in the electromagnetic spectrum. WISE mapped the sky in infrared bands that reveal cool and dust-obscured objects.
Edward L. Wright: An American astrophysicist who developed the original proposal for the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer. Wright’s survey concept became the foundation for the WISE mission.
Brown dwarf: A substellar object too massive for ordinary planets but too light to sustain hydrogen fusion like a star. WISE’s infrared sensitivity exposed nearby brown dwarfs too faint for many visible-light surveys.
WISE All-Sky Data Release: A public catalogue and image release covering the full sky observed by WISE during its cryogenic survey. This release made WISE’s first complete sky map broadly available for scientific analysis.
Two Micron All-Sky Survey: A ground-based survey that mapped the entire sky in near-infrared bands. 2MASS surveyed shorter infrared wavelengths from Earth, while WISE observed longer bands from orbit.
Infrared detector: A sensor that detects infrared radiation and converts it into an electrical signal. WISE used infrared detector arrays to record light from the sky.
NASA Explorer Program: A NASA program of relatively small, focused space science missions. WISE was selected and developed as an Explorer-class astrophysics mission.
Near-Earth object: An asteroid or comet whose orbit brings it relatively close to Earth. WISE and its NEOWISE extension found and characterized near-Earth objects using their heat emission.
NASA/IPAC Infrared Science Archive: A NASA-funded archive providing access to infrared and submillimeter astronomical data. The archive preserves and distributes WISE images, catalogues, and mission documentation.
Herschel Space Observatory: A European Space Agency observatory that studied the far-infrared and submillimeter universe. Herschel reached longer wavelengths and made targeted observations rather than WISE’s all-sky map.

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