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https://www.nist.gov/measuring-cosmos/simons-observatory

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## Measuring The Cosmos

-  Why NIST Is Going to Space 
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# Simons Observatory

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## Telescope Details

Website

#### **Location:**

Atacama Desert in Chile

#### **Purpose:**

Study how the universe began, what it is made of, and how it evolved to its current state. The project will investigate the cosmic microwave background (CMB) — the most ancient light in the universe — to better understand the physics of the Big Bang, the nature of dark energy and dark matter, the properties of neutrinos, and structure formation in the universe.

#### **NIST’s role:**

Built and delivered 39 detector arrays with a total of more than 70,000 sensors, plus electronics to efficiently collect all data. 

#### **Significant discoveries:**

This observatory is still under construction.

#### **Other interesting facts:**

This is the most ambitious of all CMB experiments to date in terms of funding levels and sheer numbers of participants, telescopes, sensors and cosmological questions to be studied. 

#### **Supported by:**

Simons Foundation, the Heising-Simons Foundation, UC San Diego, UC Berkeley, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, University of Pennsylvania, Princeton University and University of Michigan 

#### **Operated by:**

Collaboration of 35 institutions

## Media

Credit:

ElectronicsSensorsPhysics

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