WISE: Wide-Field Infrared Survey ExplorerWISE HomeWISE: Wide-Field Infrared Survey ExplorerWISE: Wide-Field Infrared Survey Explorer
Mission Science News & Events Education & Outreach Multimedia Gallery For Astronomers
WISE: Wide-Field Infrared Survey Explorer
spacer
    WISE Home
divider
Images
divider
WISE
  Multimedia Gallery: Movies Movies & Simulations
divider
Slideshows
divider
Podcasts
divider
WWT Guided Tour
WISE

Multimedia Gallery
WISE's Orbit

WISE's Orbit
 

This animation shows a schematic of WISE’s orbit. WISE will be placed in an orbit that takes it over the north and south poles of Earth and several hundred miles above the dividing line between day and night on Earth—called the terminator. As it circles Earth, WISE will be oriented so as to keep its solar panels always facing the Sun. Also, the satellite will rotate once per orbit so that the telescope will always be pointed away from Earth, straight up into the sky. Since the telescope is always facing the sky at 90° to the Sun, it can make observations of the sky throughout its orbit.

Launch MPEG:
288 x 240 (1.5MB)
320 x 240 (1.9MB)

Launch Quicktime:
320 x 240 (358KB)
400 x 300 (716KB)


Return to Movies Index

WISE
WISE
logos
spacer
UCLA JPL
Last updated 7/20/10 © UC Regents

NASA