The Wisconsin Ultraviolet Photo-Polarimeter Experiment (WUPPE) was a space telescope with a 50cm diameter mirror for
spectroscopy
Spectroscopy is the field of study that measures and interprets the electromagnetic spectra that result from the interaction between electromagnetic radiation and matter as a function of the wavelength or frequency of the radiation. Matter wa ...
and
polarimetry
Polarimetry is the measurement and interpretation of the polarization of transverse waves, most notably electromagnetic waves, such as radio or light waves. Typically polarimetry is done on electromagnetic waves that have traveled through or ...
in the ultraviolet spectral range. It was used in conjunction with other telescopes on the shuttle missions
STS-35
STS-35 was the tenth flight of Space Shuttle ''Columbia'', the 38th shuttle flight, and a mission devoted to astronomical observations with ASTRO-1, a Spacelab observatory consisting of four telescopes. The mission launched from Kennedy Spac ...
(ASTRO-1 in December 1990) and
STS-67 (ASTRO-2 in March 1995).
WUPPE was developed at the
University of Wisconsin
A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, t ...
and designed to record spectra in the wavelength range of 140 to 330 nm with a resolution of 0.6 nm while simultaneously measuring
polarization degree and direction as a function of wavelength.
During the two shuttle missions, a total of 260 measurements of 186 heavenly objects (mainly stars) were captured. The measurements of WUPPE have, among other things, provided new insights into the properties of interstellar dust and the structure of
active galactic nuclei.
References
External links
WUPPE website at University of Wisconsin{{University of Wisconsin–Madison, state=collapsed
University of Wisconsin–Madison