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THE WIDE-FIELD INFRARED SURVEY EXPLORER (WISE): MISSION DESCRIPTION AND INITIAL ON-ORBIT PERFORMANCE

2010/08/31 by Edward L. Wright, E. L. Wright, Peter Eisenhardt +56 · 8,103 citations
Physics and Astronomy · #Astronomy #Astronomy and Astrophysical Research #Ecliptic #Gamma-ray bursts and supernovae #Geography #Observatory #Physics #Remote sensing #Satellite #Sky #Stellar, planetary, and galactic studies #Zodiacal light #astro-ph.IM

paper · pdf · doi:10.1088/0004-6256/140/6/1868

published in The Astronomical Journal 140(6), 1868-1881 (Institute of Physics) · 22 pages with 19 included figures. Updated to better match the accepted version in the AJ

arxiv created 2010/11/09 · openalex publication_date 2010/11/09 · arxiv updated 2015/05/19 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/05

Abstract

The all sky surveys done by the Palomar Observatory Schmidt, the European Southern Observatory Schmidt, and the United Kingdom Schmidt, the InfraRed Astronomical Satellite, and the Two Micron All Sky Survey have proven to be extremely useful tools for astronomy with value that lasts for decades. The Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) is mapping the whole sky following its launch on 2009 December 14. WISE began surveying the sky on 2010 January 14 and completed its first full coverage of the sky on July 17. The survey will continue to cover the sky a second time until the cryogen is exhausted (anticipated in 2010 November). WISE is achieving 5σ point source sensitivities better than 0.08, 0.11, 1, and 6 mJy in unconfused regions on the ecliptic in bands centered at wavelengths of 3.4, 4.6, 12, and 22 μm. Sensitivity improves toward the ecliptic poles due to denser coverage and lower zodiacal background. The angular resolution is 6 1, 6 4, 6 5, and 12 0 at 3.4, 4.6, 12, and 22 μm, and the astrometric precision for high signal-to-noise sources is better than 0 15.

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