Amazing stuff!
"With unique capabilities to track microwave energy fluctuations, a small observatory in the Andes mountains of northern Chile produced maps of 75% of the sky as part of an effort to more accurately measure the universe's origin and evolution.
The U.S. National Science Foundation's Cosmology Large Angular Scale Surveyor, or CLASS, a collaboration led by Johns Hopkins University astrophysicists, created the maps. By measuring microwave polarization, or how these energy waves wiggle in particular directions, the team is probing the history and physics of the universe—from the very first moments to when galaxies, stars, and planets formed. ..."
"The Cosmology Large Angular Scale Surveyor (CLASS) project aims to make a unique measurement of the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) that will transform our understanding of the universe and fundamental physics. This measurement will leave a far-reaching impact on the scientific community, the next generation of scientists, and the public. As electromagnetic radiation, the CMB has both an intensity and a polarization: It is the polarization of the CMB that CLASS will use to map over 70% of the sky. ..."
New CLASS polarization sky maps have less noise than the corresponding satellite maps. The direction of polarization is depicted by red and blue while the polarization strength is captured by the depth of color. Gray sections depict parts of the sky that the CLASS telescopes cannot observe due to their geographical location.
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