N° 5–2013: Call for Media: First cosmology results from ESA’s Planck mission

The media briefing is being organised by the European Space Agency at Headquarters, 8-10 rue Mario Nikis in Paris http://www.esa.int/About_Us/Welcome_to_ESA/Where_to_find_us3), on 21 March 2013, 10:00–12:00 CET. Doors open at 09:30 CET.

There will be an additional session in the afternoon, 14:00–15:45 CET, for the scientific community and science journalists.

Planck was launched in May 2009 and its first all-sky image, including emissions from our own Milky Way galaxy, was presented in July 2010. The first scientific dataset was released in January 2011.

After years of painstaking work, scientists have now been able to remove the bright foreground emissions that lie between us and the Universe’s first light. This light was imprinted on the sky when the Universe was just 380 000 years old and seen today as the cosmic microwave background.

Planck’s map of the cosmic microwave background over the whole sky is the best ever made. By analysing it in detail, scientists have made important findings about the composition and evolution of the Universe from its birth to the present day and beyond. These results will be presented at the media briefing.

Media representatives wishing to attend the event are requested to register at http://www.esa.int/media-event-planck-2013%20

Programme

Planck’s Cosmic Microwave Background map Media Briefing, 21 March 2013

ESA Headquarters

8–10 rue Mario Nikis

75738 Paris Cedex 15

Room A

9:30

Doors open 

10:00

Jean-Jacques Dordain, ESA Director General, Planck’s Cosmic Microwave Background map

10:15

George Efstathiou, Director of the Kavli Institute for Cosmology, University of Cambridge, Cosmological results derived from Planck’s Cosmic Microwave Background map

10:45

Questions & Answers

Opportunity for individual interviews

12:00 

End of programme

The briefing will be broadcast on the ESA portal at www.esa.int.

The science briefing in the afternoon will be broadcast at the ESA Space Science Portal at www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Space_Science.

About the European Space Agency

The European Space Agency is Europe’s gateway to space.

ESA is an intergovernmental organisation, created in 1975, with the mission to shape the development of Europe’s space capability and ensure that investment in space delivers benefits to the citizens of Europe and the world.

ESA has 20 Member States: Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom, of whom 18 are Member States of the EU.

ESA has Cooperation Agreements with eight other Member States of the EU and is discussing an Agreement with the one remaining (Bulgaria). Canada takes part in some ESA programmes under a Cooperation Agreement.

ESA is also working with the EU to implement the Galileo and Copernicus programmes.

By coordinating the financial and intellectual resources of its members, ESA can undertake programmes and activities far beyond the scope of any single European country.

ESA develops the launchers, spacecraft and ground facilities needed to keep Europe at the forefront of global space activities.

Today, it launches satellites for Earth observation, navigation, telecommunications and astronomy, sends probes to the far reaches of the Solar System and cooperates in the human exploration of space.

Learn more at www.esa.int

For further information:

ESA Media Relations Office

Email: media@esa.int

Tel: +33 1 53 69 72 99

Fax: +33 1 53 69 76 90