SATLASInfrared · Space
WISE / NEOWISE
Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer
EndedEnded 8 August 2024, after starting 14 December 2009.
A 40 cm cryogenic telescope that mapped the whole sky in 2010 in four bands at 3.4, 4.6, 12 and 22 µm (W1–W4) at 6–12″ resolution. After its cryogen ran out it continued in W1 and W2 as NEOWISE (2013–2024), characterising near-Earth objects and re-imaging the sky every six months; the AllWISE, unWISE and CatWISE products remain the standard mid-infrared all-sky catalogues.
- Operator
- NASA
- Orbit
- Sun-synchronous low Earth orbit
- Aperture
- 40 cm
- Passband
- 3.4 µm – 22 µm
- Launch
- 14 December 2009
- End
- 8 August 2024
Passband
Sky coverage
The whole sky from a Sun-synchronous polar orbit, scanned every six months and deepest at the ecliptic poleseclipticThe plane of Earth's orbit projected on the sky; the Sun, Moon and planets stay close to it. Solar-system bodies and zodiacal light concentrate there, and spacecraft that must keep the Sun at a fixed angle often observe in strips perpendicular to it, so the ecliptic poles get the deepest coverage..
Archives
Sources
Verified 15 November 2026.
- NEOWISE at NASA (opens in a new tab)
- Wright et al. 2010 (opens in a new tab)
- WISE at NASA (opens in a new tab)
Other infrared facilities: VLT, Spitzer, JWST, Euclid, SPHEREx, Roman, NEO Surveyor, ELT